


Magic Meet Mind

by Starrynyte



Category: Criminal Minds (US TV), Harry Potter - J. K. Rowling
Genre: Adopted Harry Potter, Criminal Minds timeline, Independent Harry Potter, Smart Harry, basically everyone - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-08-21
Updated: 2019-09-18
Packaged: 2020-09-23 14:24:44
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 22,523
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20341600
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Starrynyte/pseuds/Starrynyte
Summary: "You think you're complicated. You're not. You're simple. You're just like every other murderer I've profiled. I understand you perfectly. That's why you'll lose." A world where Harry is adopted by the Hotchners as a child and grows up with a loving and supportive family. Basically raised by the BAU, Harry becomes one of the best profilers before he's a teenager. How will his knowledge affect Hogwarts, the wizarding world, and the war? Let's find out...





	1. Prologue

**Author's Note:**

> Disclaimer for the entire fic: I do not own the Criminal Minds or Harry Potter franchises.
> 
> This story takes place in the Criminal Minds timeline, so everything is moved 17 years forward (starting with the Marauders). Harry was born July 31, 1997. James and Lilly Potter were killed October 31, 1998. Criminal Minds started 2005. This chapter is 2003.

Harry Potter was six years old when Vernon Dursley was chosen to go on a business trip to Washington D.C.

Grunnings was attempting to break into the American market and Vernon, trying to climb the ranks, had impressed them enough to be picked to meet with prospective business partners. The company had also arranged for Vernon's family, including his nephew Harry, to travel with him to make a good impression.

Unfortunately, Vernon Dursley never made it to the first meeting. When the businessmen he was supposed to meet with had spent an hour waiting, they called their superiors who then called their contacts at Grunnings who then attempted to call Vernon.

That call went unanswered.

Finally, Grunnings called the hotel the Dursleys had been set up in and the hotel sent up one of their housekeepers to check the room and its occupants.

When no one responded to the housekeeper's knocking, she opened the door and almost immediately screamed. The bloody body of Vernon Dursley was laying just a few feet from the door.

The housekeeper let the door fall shut and immediately ran to inform her manager and call the police.

The police then called in the FBI and the FBI assigned the case to the Behavior Analysis Unit.

…

When Aaron Hotchner joined the BAU, he knew he was signing up to witness the very worst humanity had to offer.

But he also knew that he would have a chance to catch the bad guys before they hurt anyone else. It brought a feeling of satisfaction that he could never get from simply prosecuting criminals, and his wife Haley understood that he loved his new job despite the horror he faced at all hours of the day.

Hotch, as he was commonly called, had only been in the BAU for a month, but had quickly bonded with Jason Gideon, his unit leader. While Gideon had been doing the job for decades, he treated Hotch with a level of trust and respect not common for a newbie, but one that he had earned after his very first case with them that showed just how capable he was.

Also in their unit was Gideon's new protégé, a brilliant young man who somehow already had a PhD and was studying to acquire more even though he was barely old enough to buy a beer. There were several other agents on their team, but Hotch wasn't attached to any of them, especially as he knew that two of the agents were looking to move on in the next few months.

It was just before noon that late August day when his team was assembled and briefed on their new case. An English family of three was the second foreign family to be murdered in their hotel room, and they were being called in to investigate.

The DC police had left the crime scene untouched for the BAU, so they and the FBI crime scene techs were the first to enter the room.

One had to wonder how nobody had heard the murders being committed, especially with such thin walls the hotel had. Blood was splattered everywhere, mostly from the obese father, but the mother had been stabbed multiple times as well and the son had one long slice across his throat. Marks around their mouths showed they'd had their mouths duct taped shut. Bruising on the parents' wrists indicated that they'd been restrained.

It was Hotch who first noticed something odd. There were three victims; father, mother, and son, but there were four pairs of shoes. In fairness, the last pair were small and almost completely hidden beneath the couch that had been turned into a pullout bed, but they didn't look to fit the large blond boy. They were also falling apart at the seams, and Hotch almost considered that they had simply been overlooked by the maids and forgotten there by the previous occupant.

Then an almost inaudible shuffle came from the closet.

Calling out to Gideon and gaining the attention of everyone in the room, Hotch inched towards the door, and gently knocked. This time there was no mistaking the sound of shifting fabric.

Hotch braced himself and twisted the knob to pull the door open. He was not the only one to blink in confusion at the little boy curled up in the corner, bold green eyes peeking out at everyone through the mop of black hair covering his forehead.

Relaxing immediately, Hotch crouched down and shuffled over so that he was blocking the boy's view of the dead bodies.

"Hello," he said in his soft baritone. "My name is Aaron. What's your name?"

The boy only cringed back further into the closet, pulling the blanket by his feet up to cover himself. Aaron then took note of the closet floor. Blanket, pillow, and a small backpack in the opposite corner. It looked like the boy had slept there.

Hotch filed the information away and asked the boy if he could touch him. Not receiving any answer, Hotch gently reached out. When there was no resistance, he pulled him into his arms and stood up, taking the boy out of the room to be checked out by a medic.

Hotch couldn't explain why, but from the moment he held the boy in his arms, something inside him thrummed. While he felt protective of the boy, as anyone would in that situation, it was more than that. It was something undefinable. A gut instinct that told him there was something more to this boy than met the eye, and he vowed to find out what it was.

While the boy was cleared of any injury, Agent Martinez, the lone female member of his team, found out the father's name through the hotel and that his company had made the reservation. Grunnings was called and HR was able to pull up employment records to identify the other family members. The boy was the Dursley's nephew, Harry Potter.

Returning to Quantico, Hotch led Harry to a room filled with toys used to talk with children involved in cases and told him he could play while they waited for the social worker Child Protective Services was sending over. Legally, the agents couldn't speak with Harry without a guardian, which is why they needed to wait for the social worker, but they could subtly observe the six-year-old through the glass walls.

Instead of playing or even curling up and sitting quietly, which wouldn't be surprising for a traumatized child, Harry slowly walked around the room looking at the toys. He wouldn't touch any of them unless they were out of place in some way. He picked up a ball to put it in a bin with others. He pushed the books on the shelf up straight to slide in two more that had been placed carelessly on top. He placed the blocks that had spilled onto the floor back in the tub. He made sure the little plastic chairs around the table were pushed in nicely. All the crayons lying out were slid back in their box and placed next to the markers right in the center of the table. A crumpled ball of paper lying next to the trash can was quickly thrown away. When the room was all tidied, he sat down against the wall and looked out to watch the agents in the bullpen.

The behavior was troubling in a number of ways, and Hotch yearned to go in and speak with Harry. He had his suspicions of how the Dursleys treated him. The EMT that had looked him over had told Hotch that Harry had several bruises at various stages of healing and was quite small and underweight for his age. It would take a full medical evaluation to find the extent of his injuries and how far back they went though.

Finally, the social worker arrived and Agent Martinez was chosen to go in to speak with Harry. Hotch had wanted to go in, but was overruled as he didn't have much experience with children.

The social worker, Ms. Taylor, sat in the corner to observe, while Martinez approached Harry. For half an hour, she tried all the tricks to get Harry to talk. She spoken softly. She reassured. She sympathized. She asked simple questions, some just about himself. She tried to engage him in activity by coloring a picture herself. She even sat quietly by him when nothing else worked, hoping that he would talk to her if she didn't prompt him.

But Harry didn't say a word. He avoided eye contact, yet followed all of her movements, especially her hands, with shrewd eyes.

Eventually, Martinez was motioned out of the room, leaving Ms. Taylor in with Harry. Hotch took the chance to ask again if he could speak with him. Gideon studied him for a moment before nodding his head once.

…

Hotch let the door shut behind him, dulling the sounds on the other side of the glass. He stood there, just watching Harry until he finally raised his head and looked at Hotch with a blank expression. Hotch looked away and walked over to the bookcase. He looked back at Harry, whose eyes were lowered, but still looking in Hotch's direction.

"Why did you put the books away?" Hotch asked directly.

Harry's eyes focused on his face.

"Do you put the books and other toys away at home?" Hotch reworded, encouraged by the slight response.

Harry nodded.

"Do you like it when things are clean and organized?"

Harry glanced away in thought before he shrugged.

_Not OCD then_, Hotch thought. He didn't tidy up because he needed things to be in order. He did it because it's what he's been expected to do.

"Do you get in trouble when things aren't cleaned up?"

Harry nodded.

Those simple answers alone weren't really indicative of abuse, but Hotch knew. He could feel it. It's not why Harry was here though. Hotch needed to get him to talk about the murders and anything he might have heard. However, the knowledge of Harry being abused would help in how he got those answers. Harry would respond if he was direct and unemotional. Factual. Hotch needed to treat him almost as if he were an adult in this case, without kid gloves. That was what Harry was used to.

Hotch used a blunt tone when he said, "Your aunt, uncle, and cousin were murdered last night."

Ms. Taylor started to interrupt, but Hotch held up his hand and glared at her to be silent and let him speak. She pursed her lips but remained silent in her seat.

Hotch looked back to Harry. "I know you were in the closet when it happened. I know that you weren't involved in any way," Hotch added when Harry shrunk in on himself. "But I think you know how your family died. The person who killed them is going to kill other people. You could help us stop them if you tell me what happened."

Harry looked up at him, and Hotch could see it in his eyes that he was finally going to say something.

"I didn't see him."

Hotch sat down across from Harry and crossed his legs. Harry shifted to copy his position.

"I still want you to tell me what happened. Start at the beginning," Hotch said lowly. "You came here yesterday on a plane. Yes?"

"Yes."

"Close your eyes. Think back. You were on a plane with a lot of other people. There was a noise from underneath. It was the landing gear. An announcement came over the speakers. Then the plane landed. Was it bumpy?"

Harry murmured, "A little. Dudley was scared."

Hotch continued. "You had to stay seated until the plane came to a stop. Then you got up and got your bag." Harry nodded along. "Tell me everything that happened once you got off the plane."

Harry did. In a surprising amount of detail, Harry told of how he stumbled after the Dursleys through the airport, met a man waiting for them with his Uncle Vernon's name on a sign, and rode in a black car to the hotel. Then his uncle went out for a few minutes while his aunt and cousin changed clothes. His uncle came back with a box of cheerios for him to eat while the three went out to dinner.

"They didn't take you with them?" Hotch interrupted.

Harry blinked his eyes open. "No," he said simply, in a voice that clearly implied, _Why would they?_

"What did you do while they were gone?" Hotch went on.

"I watched the telly and ate my cheerios."

"Do you know how long your family was gone?" Hotch asked, internally frowning at the use of the word "family".

Harry's face puckered in thought. "I found a cartoon," he said slowly, "and I watched…four episodes of it, so it was a little more than two hours I think. Then I heard Uncle Vernon coming down the hall a bit through the fifth episode, so had to turn it off real quick."

_Impressive reasoning for a six-year-old_. "Why did you have to turn it off?"

"They don't let me watch the telly."

"What happened after they came back?"

Not much apparently. They turned the couch into a bed for Dudley, changed into pajamas, watched some television, and then went to sleep as soon as it got dark.

"I was really tired," Harry said. "So were Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia. Dudley yawned and whined a lot, so I know he was too."

That makes sense, Hotch thought. There's a five-hour difference between D.C. and London. The Dursley's would have had to stay awake longer than normal to adjust to the time zone.

"Why were you sleeping in the closet?" Hotch asked, hoping that Harry would contradict him and just say that he hid there before their attacker noticed him.

Harry looked at him with piercing eyes. He was studying Hotch more than any other child ever had. "Aunt Petunia told me to," he said while looking him in the eye.

Hotch breathed in deeply and maintained eye contact. "Do you sleep in a closet at home?"

"No."

Hotch was slightly relieved at his, but then asked, "Where do you normally sleep?"

"In my room."

Hotch narrowed his eyes. Harry was clearly lying. He looked away when he said it. He tensed. He tapped his fingers. Everything about his body language said it was a lie.

"Your aunt and uncle told you to tell people that," Hotch said calmly. "They're dead. Tell me the truth," Hotch demanded.

Harry looked back at him with wide eyes. "In my cupboard," he whispered.

"You told someone this once before," Hotch stated. "An adult. A teacher maybe? And when the Dursleys were confronted about it, they said you were lying. No one believed you, and your aunt and uncle told you not to tell people where you slept or about when they hurt you."

Harry looked down and curled in on himself. "I'll get in trouble."

Hotch breathed out slowly. There it was. As soon as he found this serial killer, he would make sure Harry got the help he needed.

"I believe you."

Harry's head snapped up.

Hotch just raised a brow. "Why would you lie?" he asked simply, as if him believing Harry was no big deal. _Of course_ he believed him. "I'm not like other adults," he explained. "I've been trained to read people's behavior; to understand them. I know when someone is lying and when they're telling the truth. I know you're telling the truth."

Harry's whole body relaxed at he looked at Hotch in wonder.

"Now," Hotch said lightly. "This next part might be hard, but I need to know what you know. You said you didn't see _him_. Was there another man in the room?"

Harry nodded, and Hotch sat looking at him patiently.

"I woke up," Harry said slowly. "I don't know why, but then I heard a door open and close. Then a weird sound, like _errrrc_," Harry imitated in a high pitch. Hotch deduced that it was the sound of duct tape being pulled. "Then I heard Dudley wake up. He sounded scared. He was whimpering, but the man shushed him. Then I heard Dudley get off the couch bed and they both walked a few steps. It sounded like he was going to the big bed. And I heard that noise again. Then Uncle Vernon grunted, and I heard the bed squeaking. Then I think Aunt Petunia woke up. The man shushed them and Dudley started crying. The man whispered something."

Harry frowned. "It was hard to hear him, but I think he said he didn't want to hurt Dudley and promised he wouldn't if they did what he said."

Hotch leaned forward. "What did he want them to do?"

Harry's eyes narrowed in thought. "First he told Aunt Petunia to cover her mouth. Then he told her to tape his hands behind his back. I think he meant Uncle Vernon. Then the man told her to stand up and walk forward. I couldn't really hear what he said next. It was just a whisper, but I heard that sound again."

Harry looked up at him. "Was that sound the tape?"

"I believe so," Hotch said quietly. "What happened after that?"

Harry closed his eyes. "He started talking funny."

Hotch tilted his head. "Funny in what way?"

"His words didn't make sense. It was like he thought my aunt and uncle were his mum and dad. I remember that he asked how they could abandon him. He said, 'You took me out to eat as a treat and told me I'd be happy here. I didn't know that you meant I'd be happy here _without you_, and you were wrong!' I heard that part because he was a lot louder than before," Harry told him seriously. "Then he said, 'I wasn't happy here. Do you know what you left me to…' um, it sounded like he said 'mami'? And then, 'Do you know, papi?' I heard all of the Dursleys trying to talk to him, but they just made _mmm_ sounds because their mouths were taped shut."

Harry fell silent after that.

Hotch tentatively reached out to cover one of his hands. "Harry, I know you don't want to think about what happened next, but it might be important."

Harry spoke in a mumble. "He told Dudley not to be scared. He said he was saving him because they would leave him, and then Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon were screaming, only it was quiet, and then I heard a thump and then some footsteps and then…"

"Then?" Hotch prompted.

Harry had shrunk into himself by this point, and Hotch had to lean close to hear him whisper, "It was like a hitting sound, but also…wet. Over and over and over." Harry peaked up at Hotch. "I didn't hear Aunt Petunia or Uncle Vernon or Dudley after that."

Hotch breathed out.

"Thank you, Harry. That was very brave of you. I want you to know you helped us a lot by telling us this. Ms. Taylor is going to take you to safe place now," Hotch said as he stood up.

"Wait!" Harry gasped. "There's one more thing!"

Hotch lifted a brow.

"The man," Harry said. "He walked funny. I heard him as he left. His steps were uneven. He walked like this." Harry then proceeded to walk with his left leg not extending past his right.

"He had a limp?" Hotch clarified.

Harry nodded. "Yeah, and I know it was on his left leg because I saw his shoes when he walked near the closet."

Hotch hummed to himself, thoughts not on the case, but on the boy standing in front of him. It only took a moment to come to a decision.

He asked to speak with Ms. Taylor outside.

…

Using the excuse that the Unsub was a family annihilator and might try to come back for Harry if he found out that he didn't kill the entire family, Hotch was able to convince the social worker that Harry's temporary guardian be a BAU member working the case, as Harry could also remember further details about that night that may come in handy. Of course, Hotch volunteered and was approved quickly given his current and former status.

When he called Haley to inform her of their new houseguest, the only questions she had were out of concern for Harry. It made Hotch fall even more in love with her.

Hotch was allowed to leave early that day to take Harry to the hospital for a full medical evaluation. The abuse was confirmed and a full report written up. Then Hotch took him home and introduced him to Haley. The wide-eyed look Harry had when Haley slowly put her arms around him in a hug soon melted into a look of wonder and contentment.

Hotch hoped not to overwhelm Harry with all of the changes, but Harry didn't really react to all the new freedoms he was given. His new room was barely glanced at. The food he spooned onto his plate at dinner was minimal. He still cleaned up around the house even though they both told him not to. Hotch and Haley agreed that Harry hadn't accepted his new reality yet and that it would take time. The only thing that concerned them was the strong attachment Harry seemed to make with them, always wanting to be in the same room. What concerned the couple more was how much they both wanted him there.

Over the course of the next four days, Harry spent the mornings and nights with the Hotchners, quickly stealing both of their hearts. Haley sat with him and worked to make sure he knew that he was a child and it was her job to take care of him, not the other way around. Harry still insisted in making them breakfast every morning. Thankfully he stuck to cold foods and the toaster after Haley and Hotch rushed downstairs that first morning when they realized neither of them were responsible for the bacon and pancakes they smelled cooking.

During the day, Hotch took Harry to work with him as it was part of the agreement that Harry would be in the presence of an FBI agent at all times. At first, Harry was told he could play in the corner of Gideon's office with some toys borrowed from the playroom. That way he would be in sight, but not hear anything going on outside. However, Harry had no interest in the toys. More importantly, he did not want to be away from Hotch. And so the team resigned themselves to Harry sitting beside Hotch's desk in the bullpen. While rarely speaking, it soon became clear that Harry was listening to everything when he pointed out a mistake Agent Bends made in their suspect pool.

Impressing everyone and receiving praise, Harry started to come out of his shell, asking questions and giving insightful answers when asked what he thought about things. It was this curiosity and intelligence that led to him bonding with Spencer Reid. Unlike most children – and even most adults - Harry wasn't at all confused or bored with Reid's rambling explanations. He always asked to know more, which is why Reid took Hotch aside after the second day Harry was in the office.

"I think Harry's a genius," Reid said bluntly. "Not that intelligence can really be quantified-"

"Reid," Hotch interrupted.

"Right," Spencer said. "From what I've seen, Harry shows many signs of a high IQ, especially in his observation and deductive reasoning skills. I think we should have him tested."

And so, the third morning of Harry's stay at the BAU saw Hotch dropping Harry off at a psychologist's office located in the same building at Quantico after reassuring him they would see each other at lunch. While the doctor didn't normally see children, let alone test if they were gifted, she was qualified and spent the whole morning running Harry through various tests.

At lunch she delivered her findings to Hotch, Reid, and Gideon, who also wanted to know how Harry was doing. It came as no surprise to Reid that Harry was indeed a "genius" as he suspected. It did surprise all of them when the doctor asked to keep Harry for the afternoon to do a mental health evaluation, suspecting that the damage the Dursleys did was much more mental and emotional then physical.

Her conclusion and suggestions for moving forward had Hotch and Haley whispering to each other late that night, neither one able to fall asleep.

Harry had several issues they needed to work through, the most pressing being Reactive Attachment Disorder. Harry did not trust or form attachments easily, which is why it was so concerning that he developed a close relationship with the Hotchners. Normally it would be a good thing, but his placement with them was only until the unsub who murdered his relatives was caught. To send Harry to a new home with strangers in a foreign environment would be detrimental to him at this stage, almost guaranteeing Harry would never form a close relationship with anyone and most likely developing more violent tendencies later. It's why the psychologist posed the question of a more permanent guardianship with Hotch and his wife.

"It wouldn't be the worst thing in the world," Haley whispered. "He needs us."

"I thought we were going to wait until I settled in more at the BAU, and didn't you want to continue teaching another year?" Hotch asked.

"Well it's not like I'll be pregnant for nine months and have to take maternity leave." Haley rolled her eyes.

"If we do this, we can't give him back."

Haley settled her chin on Aaron's chest and looked him calmly in the eye. "Do you want to give him back right now?"

Hotch breathed in. "No."

"Then what makes you think you'll ever change your mind?"

It was a good thing the couple talked that night because the next day when Hotch went into the office, he was told they had arrested the unsub. The man was thirty-one years old and had been abandoned in the nation's capital when he was seven by his parents. They were illegal immigrants from Columbia that had left their son in the hopes that their leaving him with no identification would keep him from being deported and have a good life in America. Instead, he was shuffled from foster home to foster home, suffering abuse from several older boys that led to a fall down the stairs and a broken femur that left him with a noticeable limp. His life never got much better, but the stressor came when his girlfriend, who happened to be a single mother of a young boy, left him for another man. The night she broke up with him was the night he killed his first family. They were eating out at the restaurant he had eaten at with his parents before they left him. The Dursleys had gone to the same restaurant. The two families' accents and conversation topics had clearly told the unsub they were tourists, which is why he picked them. It also explained why he left Harry alive in the closet. He simply didn't know he was there, having not seen him at the restaurant.

The case was closed and Harry's social worker informed. When Ms. Taylor came to collect Harry, Hotch very firmly told her that wouldn't be necessary and asked for the paperwork to become Harry's permanent guardian with the intention to adopt. Within two days, Harry was officially his ward. Haley and Hotch would have to wait a few more months to adopt him, but as there were no other family members – Marge Dursley refused to take Harry in – and they fulfilled all the requirements, the Hotchners were happy to call Harry their son that very day.

Ms. Taylor was quite pleased.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *In season 1 episode 1, Hotch said he's been with the BAU 2 years. Most of the other BAU members we know and love have said they'd been with the unit for only a year before the first episode. I'll bring them on in due time.  
*Haley's profession is never mentioned, but I can't see her as just a housewife especially before having kids, so I made her a school teacher. Why? I don't know it just seemed like a good fit?  
*Harry is not going to be super and powerful just because. He IS going to reach his potential unlike in canon where his gifts were suppressed by the Dursleys and peer pressure. He didn't study compulsively, but still managed to get pretty good grades on his OWLs, so you know he's smart. Plus, he becomes an auror in canon, so you know he's got a detective in him.  
*IF there is any character bashing in the future - IF! - then know that there will probably also be character redemption...probably.


	2. The First Year Part I

The moment the Dursleys were murdered, the artifacts in Albus Dumbledore's office monitoring the blood wards on Privet Drive either stopped working or let off an alarm. As Dumbledore had been down at breakfast at the time and then went about his duties, he didn't learn of this until several hours later when he returned to his office. He immediately flooed to Arabella Figg's house, his panicked appearance startling the old woman sitting with her cats.

"What happened?" he demanded. As Mrs. Figg had no idea what he was talking about, Dumbledore instead hurried out of the house and down the street to the house marked Number 4. Checking to make sure no one was watching, Dumbledore discreetly used his wand to cast some revealing charms. With no one inside, he let himself in and found nothing out of the ordinary.

By this time, Mrs. Figg had caught up with the headmaster and informed him that the Dursleys had bragged to their neighbors about spending a week in the United States Capitol due to how hard Vernon worked.

This did not ease Dumbledore's mind. The only ways the blood wards would have broken before Harry's seventeenth birthday were if he no longer considered his Aunt Petunia family and her house not his home...or if there was no longer a living blood relative to tie him to the residence. Without the blood wards to keep away wizards with ill intent, Harry would be extremely vulnerable, especially as he was now in a foreign country with no way for Dumbledore to locate him.

Because of Harry's fame, Dumbledore had cast a mail redirection charm on him as a baby before leaving him with the Dursleys. Dumbledore had thought it a good idea with the hundreds of letters and packages sent to him over the years that were currently being stored in a locked room deep within Hogwarts. If only he had been paranoid enough to put a tracking charm on him as well. The redirection charm would only break on Harry's eleventh birthday so that he could receive his Hogwarts letter, but Dumbledore could not wait that long.

He had to find Harry Potter.

With determination fulling him, he sent out messages to his contacts in the United States and to former Order of the Phoenix members who would be willing and able to help.

It was actually Mrs. Figg who contributed the first useful bit of information. About a week after Harry went missing, Marge Dursley showed up on Privet Drive to manage the Dursley's affairs, wailing to any and all about her poor brother, sister-in-law, and nephew. They were murdered in their hotel room. "Uncultured savages," Marge had called the Americans, slaughtering her only family left.

Mrs. Figg took the opportunity to ask about Harry while pretending to console her. After all, if there was one benefit to living on Privet Drive all these years, it was learning how to prod information out of people.

"How horrible a person must be to kill four innocent people," she said.

Marge scoffed. "Four?" she asked rhetorically. "I assume you're talking about that brat nephew of Petunia's? If only he had been killed instead of my poor nephie-poo!" Marge dissolved into tears again. But this gave Arabella hope. It would seem Harry was still alive.

After informing Dumbledore, she suggested that he look into muggle news articles in Washington D.C. in the last week. Surely such gruesome murders would be reported?

Doing so, Dumbledore learned how and why the Dursleys were killed and that the culprit was a muggle serial killer. He completely ignored the details of the case, such as it being solved by the BAU, as he was only looking for what happened to Harry. However, the only mention Dumbledore found was a short line about the Dursleys' nephew surviving the attack. The news said nothing on Harry's current whereabouts.

And so, Dumbledore found himself back at square one with no way to locate Harry Potter. He leaned on his foreign contacts to find the boy, but his few contacts in the MACUSA didn't have authorization for Harry's government file, which was sealed and given classified status. Unlike the British Ministry of Magic, the MACUSA had only recently started working with the nonmagical government. To gain access by going through proper channels would bring too much attention to Harry. Instead, Dumbledore and his recruits resorted to looking through public records, particularly school records, but no "Harry Potter" ever showed up.

The only thing Dumbledore knew for sure was that Harry Potter was alive, somewhere in the United States.

...

There weren't many issues to be sorted out in the first few days of Harry officially becoming a member of the Hotchner household. As he was already living there prior to the decision to adopt, he knew the rules he had to follow and why, most being for his own safety. No, the problems were more technical in nature. One was the question of his citizenship. As his guardians were full citizens, Harry was filed as a temporary resident. Once the adoption went through, he would be a full American citizen. Harry would also retain his British citizenship until the age of eighteen, at which time he could file to retain his dual citizenship or to drop one or the other.

When filling out the paperwork, Haley and Aaron asked Harry if he wanted to keep his last name Potter or if he wanted to drop it in exchange for Hotchner. He also had the option of hyphenating the two.

Harry, who had been told all his life that his parents were good for nothing drunks, didn't really feel attached to the name of Potter. He loved his new parents who wanted to be called mum – or _mom_ as it was pronounced here in the states – and dad. He was happy to be called a Hotchner. Saying exactly that, Aaron and Haley smiled, while inside, their stomachs churned with mixed feelings. Hotch then told Harry that while he was proud to have him as a son, perhaps he should wait to drop the Potter name.

"The Dursleys weren't very honest people Harry," Aaron pointed out. "I know what they told you, but they could have lied to you about your parents just as they lied to your neighbors and teachers about you."

This idea shocked Harry and he blinked at the thought of his birth parents being good people.

"Could we find out?" he asked hopefully. His dad smiled and agreed to investigate.

As it was, the final name put onto the request for adoption forms was Harry James Potter-Hotchner.

The final question for Harry's new life demanded an answer just two weeks after Harry came to stay with them. After the Dursleys' murder case was solved, Harry stayed home with Haley, bonding with his new mother who would take him to visit Hotch every day at lunch. Harry missed being at the BAU and would beg to go to Quantico. One morning he got his wish, as Haley had to go in for teacher's meetings and make sure everything was set up for the new school year. When she came to pick Harry up at lunch, she and Hotch talked about Harry's own schooling. He should have been going into first grade, but both were unsure if it was best for him.

They consulted Reid, Gideon, and Dr. Oxland, the psychologist who first examined Harry, and together they all agreed it would be best to homeschool Harry for a year to work out his social anxieties and other psychological issues caused by the Dursley's abuse.

Spencer Reid was both elated and highly supportive of this decision and was one of Harry's best tutors. With his help, they concluded that Harry was currently about a year ahead of his grade level and could easily gain two years of schooling in half that time with the right guidance. Happily, Harry started to complete his homework assignments at a desk next to Hotch's. The BAU had allowed the setup while Harry was in potential danger, but as they had returned to normal operations, Chief Strauss vehemently protested the arrangement.

"The bullpen is not a daycare!" she shouted. "Exposing a child to the types of cases we work is highly irresponsible-"

"With all due respect," Reid timidly intervened, "Harry's already been exposed."

Strauss narrowed her eyes in a glare at the young profiler.

It took Gideon talking with her behind closed doors for Strauss to allow Harry to spend his days at Quantico, but only under certain conditions. For one, he could only spend two days of the week in the BAU bullpen. He had to be in the daycare center Quantico offered its employees at all other times. This allowance itself came with conditions. Harry could not have any part in the cases they worked, nor could he be disruptive. If he took any significant time away from the agents, the arrangement would end. He also had to be supervised at all times. If a case took the unit away from Quantico when Harry was with them, he would be escorted down to the daycare and picked up by Haley at an appropriate time. Harry's sessions with Dr. Oxland would also be increased from once a week to at least twice a week in hour long sessions.

Strauss had been the one to suggest the last guideline. While she had only met Harry twice, each of those times she'd been in his presence enough to understand exactly why the other profilers wanted to keep him around. He radiated innocence, but not ignorance. In fact, Harry was wise far beyond his years, and despite – or maybe because of – his own experience, he felt a deep compassion for the victims of such horrible crimes. It didn't hurt that he was also incredibly talented and well-behaved; there hadn't been a single problem caused by Harry. More impressive to Strauss was the determination lighting his eyes when confronted with a mystery, a fire burning even brighter when he was told of how the BAU brought criminals to face justice.

Strauss would never allow an innocent child to study gruesome murders committed by the trash of humanity, but it was true that Harry wasn't exactly innocent. The horrors that parents try to protect their children from had gotten to Harry, and there was no going back. She saw it in his eyes, even when he was smiling. There was a deep world-wariness and inner pain that lingered in his bright green eyes. The way he could stare at her and seem to see past every mask she wore into her very core was almost unsettling. Yet, there was no anger. No hatred. Instead she saw acceptance and, when Harry was with Hotch, Reid, or Gideon, a slight glimmer of hope. From what she read in Harry's medical report, he'd spent the last five years in hell, never being given the chance to be a child. In the end, that's why she conceded, knowing just as Hotch and Gideon did that now that Harry had been shown this way of life, a way of fighting against the wrongs of the world, he felt a compulsion to be a part of it.

It made Strauss truly pity the boy. He was only six years old. A child shouldn't feel the need to _do_ something like this; to protect, to fight for himself and for others. She consoled herself that maybe this was the best option for him. Harry had been broken by his relatives, by all the tragedy he'd experienced, including the loss of his parents. Perhaps by guiding Harry, she and the other agents could keep an eye on him and hopefully keep him from walking a much darker path. Maybe by compromising, they could force him to have as much of a childhood as he could allow himself to enjoy. Perhaps they could give him the tools he needed to one day heal.

…

Harry was very happy with his new life. For the first time that he could remember, he had a real family that loved him. His mother was so loving and always willing to hug him or ruffle his hair. Mummy made him laugh and smile and brought joy wherever she went. His father was different, but no less loving. He was quieter, but steadier. Daddy always made Harry feel safe, and Harry loved when he was allowed to sit on his lap, strong arms holding him close. Harry would look up and see the soft smile on his daddy's face and know that he was truly happy Harry was there.

Harry had gained more than parents though. He now had other people who liked him! Spencer was the best. He taught Harry how to read really fast and never got mad when he asked questions. Spencer and his new parents wanted Harry to do his best in everything he did, unlike the Dursleys who got mad when he did better than Dudley. It was odd at first, getting praised for learning something, but Harry grew to crave that feeling of accomplishment. He wanted to make everyone proud, even Uncle Gideon.

Spencer had told Harry to call Gideon that as an experiment to see how the older man would react. They weren't really sure what it meant though when the only reaction was a slight uplift at the corners of Gideon's lips before he returned to his crossword puzzle. He didn't tell Harry not to call him that though, so he continued and the moniker just stuck.

Harry had a real bedroom with toys he could play with, and his parents always fed him until he was full. They also gave him new glasses, and the world had never been so clear. The headaches Harry used to get were now a thing of the past along with his blurry vision. He could think so much faster than before without the constant low-grade pain in the back of his head.

He got stronger too. Mummy insisted on him playing some sport so that he could meet other kids his age. He'd spent a few days with daddy playing the different games, and he'd liked some of them, like baseball and basketball. Those were apparently spring sports though, and he didn't care for any of the fall sports like football. The question of what social activity Harry would join was solved by Agent Bends after he offered to take Harry down to Quantico's training facility about a month into his new life. There, the large agent attempted to teach Harry some fighting techniques. Bends was sidelined though when two women scolded him for teaching him boxing.

"Are you stupid?" the curvy blonde asked. "You shouldn't be teaching the kid boxing. Look at him!"

At first, Harry just thought they didn't want him fighting at all, but the petite, dark-skinned brunette added, "He's too young for that. He doesn't have the size or strength for boxing. If he tries to box with an attacker he'd be killed. He needs Krav Maga or Tae Kwon Do." She turned to Harry. "Luckily I know both." She grinned and winked at him.

When Harry returned sweaty and with a large bruise on his arm, Hotch was understandably concerned despite the wide grin covering his son's face. His worries were immediately put to rest though as Harry excitedly regaled Hotch with how he learned to fight off and escape Agent Bends, a muscular man well over six feet. Harry then turned to Hotch with puppy dog eyes asking if he could learn Martial Arts. Hotch and Haley easily agreed. Harry was put into a beginner Tae Kwon Do class where he surprised everyone with his success at both picking up the moves and making friends with the other boys and girls.

Harry's life was so jarringly different compared to when he was with the Dursleys, and even though he was told constantly that he was loved and that he wouldn't get in trouble for accidents, he couldn't help but feel like something was going to go terribly wrong. At first Harry felt this way every moment of every day, but as time went on and he relaxed into his new life with his family, the feeling went away.

The only time it bubbled up was when he accidently did something freakish. He didn't always understand why what he was doing was wrong nor how he was doing it. He just felt this tingly sensation inside when he wanted something, and then the tingle got stronger before disappearing just as he got what he wanted. He tried his best to hide it from his parents, but his daddy was one of the best profilers, he was bound to notice eventually. Harry could only hope that when it happened, they didn't punish him like Uncle Vernon and Aunt Petunia did.

Though Harry hadn't cried in a long time, he didn't think he'd be able to live with his mummy and daddy hating him.

…

There was something odd about Harry.

Haley and Aaron had to admit that there were actually many things odd about Harry, but those could be explained away by his intelligence or his past in an abusive home. But there was one thing about him that couldn't be explained, and though they loved Harry, they couldn't deny that in the past four months, there always seemed to be something odd happening around him.

At first, they could brush off the occurrences as little quirks, such as Harry hissing at a small black garden snake while he and Haley were playing outside. Kids have imagination after all. Haley quickly pulled him away and told him not to play with snakes because they could bite him. Harry was adamant that the snake wouldn't bite him, but still promised to keep his distance. She and Aaron still caught him hissing at the occasional snake from a safe distance away when he thought they weren't watching.

Harry also seemed to find any object in the house within moments, even if his parents had been searching for over ten minutes. But Harry had proven he was observant and logical and had probably seen them misplace whatever they were looking for the last time they had used it.

Then there were the events that they simply shrugged off as luck. Harry tumbling all the way down the stairs and not even getting a bruise was such a relief that they didn't question his good fortune. Whenever Harry dropped something that his parents were sure should have broke, the object simply bounced off the ground, completely intact.

It was luck.

And yet, there were other occurrences that Haley and Aaron could neither brush aside nor explain. For instance, Aaron could have sworn he saw one of the only two action figures Harry played with moving by itself once. When he examined the toy later though, it was all made of one piece of plastic and didn't bend or move in any way.

One day after Haley and Harry had built a pillow fort in the living room, they were cleaning it all up and Harry simply tossed the pillows in the air with barely a glance at the couch and chairs. Yet, they all landed perfectly in position. It was even more surprising when Harry threw the blanket into the air and it hovered as though carried by a breeze before settling evenly over the back of the couch.

Just recently while setting up the Christmas tree, Hotch had accidently backed into the spruce while trying to untangle the lights. It certainly looked like it would fall onto Harry, who was sitting right next to it, but after a moment of hovering over him, the tree fell back into place with barely a wobble.

There were also the many times Harry was caught with a book that had been deliberately put out of his reach. Much to Haley's displeasure, Harry loved reading the true crime books in Hotch's office. She supposed his prior exposure to the subject made him curious about the kind of people would do such things and why. She didn't like it, but she accepted the argument that teaching him about it in a controlled manner would help him more than trying to shelter him when it was already too late for that. As a compromise, Haley encouraged him to look at the history of crime and its legalities to keep him away from the gorier details for as long as possible. It still didn't distract her from the fact that Harry should not have been able to get ahold of those books in the first place, having been locked up in Aaron's office on the highest shelves.

The odd occurrences only increased the longer Harry was with them. It all came to a head when Hotch brought up James and Lily Potter's files. One of the tech analysists had put together everything that could be found on Harry's birth parents and to say it was strange would be an understatement.

Lily Potter nee Evans had lived a mostly normal life in the south of England until she was eleven and a half. The autumn of that year, she attended a private boarding school and seemingly dropped off the radar. While she had a driver's license, she didn't own a car. Nor did she have any record of employment, and only one credit card that she barely used. There was a marriage certificate to James Charlus Potter filed in July of 1995 and a home address in a small town called Godric's Hollow. Finally, there was a death certificate with the date October 31, 1998. Included in the file was a newspaper article saying that the Potters were killed when part of their cottage exploded from a gas leak. However, when Hotch investigated further, he found there was no autopsy report, and therefore, no official Cause of Death. It simply stated that they died in the explosion.

The whole report just seemed…_off_.

James Potter's report was even more so, mostly because it was practically bare. No record of where he was born, just a birth certificate that said he was the son to Fleamont and Euphemia Potter. No school records of any kind until the age of eleven when he went to the same private boarding school as Lily, of which both records were minimal. No employment records. No credit cards. No driver's license. No bank accounts. No criminal record. Nothing. Nothing except three certificates of his birth, marriage to Lily Evans, and death.

There wasn't even a will on file and considering Lily and James had been parents for over a year at the time of their deaths, that was suspicious. Hotch didn't know a single parent that didn't have a plan in place for their child if something should ever happen to them.

While he had been happy to tell Harry that his parents didn't die in a car accident while they were drunk, that was about all he could tell him.

It frustrated Hotch to no end.

After months of researching, Hotch had to admit that he had hit a wall and needed help. He confided in Gideon that he was trying to learn about Harry's birth parents, but there was barely any record of them. There were also very few people who were close to the Potters listed in the file, and they were all dead, so contacting them was out.

Gideon listened to Hotch's explanation, eyes narrowing when the private school Lily and James attended was mentioned.

"What was it called again?" he asked slowly.

Hotch huffed. "Hogwarts School for the Gifted."

Gideon's face went completely blank before he stood up. "I need to make a call," he said shortly as he hurried to his office and shut the door firmly.

Hotch was fully aware that Gideon knew something but would only reveal it when he had a full answer. He returned to filling out paperwork while Gideon was in his office calling up his old friend and partner, David Rossi.

Former Agent Rossi had traveled all over the world and seen many strange things. He delighted in telling stories of his escapades while somehow never revealing anything confidential. However, there was one instance about ten years ago when Rossi told a story about his second wife, Hayden Montgomery. She was a French diplomat at the time of their short marriage and would often receive visitors in their home. This particular story featured two French professors wearing medieval style robes and a dinner that ended with a frog in every teacup and him speaking backwards for a day. When Gideon asked how that had happened, Rossi smirked ruefully.

"You don't want to know," he said. "I've seen a lot of strange things in my life, but what I learned from those Beauxbatons professors takes the cake. At least the knowledge has come in handy over the years, and the meeting could have gone a lot worse."

"How so?" Gideon asked.

"They could have been from Hogwarts," Rossi stated. "Apparently their headmaster is nuttier than a porta potty at a peanut festival."

Gideon had never thought much on that conversation, but Hotch saying "Hogwarts" had brought the memory rushing back.

When Rossi finally answered his phone, Gideon didn't bother with any pleasantries.

"Tell me what you know about Hogwarts and a couple named Lily and James Potter."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> More next week!


	3. Holiday Interlude

Agent Bends left the BAU a week before Christmas. He had married and was starting a family, so he transferred to a department with more regular hours. The unit met his replacement, Agent Derek Morgan, the day after, though Morgan wouldn't officially start as a profiler until the new year.

That same day, Gideon told Hotch that Rossi had invited them all over for dinner three days before Christmas. Soon enough, the day came. Arriving at Rossi's mansion early in the evening, the Hotchners and Gideon were met with a stern looking man alongside Rossi who was introduced as Auror Tiberius Hawkins. That led to the question of just what an Auror was.

Though Haley and Aaron were at first disbelieving of the idea of magic and the magical world, they were quickly stunned into silence after Hawkins turned the table into a cow.

Hotch looked slowly over to Rossi and Hawkins. "You were saying?" he prompted.

Over the next hour, Rossi and Hawkins explained to Gideon, Haley, Aaron, and Harry about the magical world that was hidden from No-Majs, or muggles as the Europeans called them. Rossi had learned of the magical world from his ex-wife, Hayden. When a later case brought him in touch with the magical world, he was able to work with the American aurors to smooth things over on his side while they took the wizarding murderer into custody. From then on, Rossi was one of the few FBI agents recruited to work with the MACUSA Department of Magical Law Enforcement. It was a relatively new joint venture, as until the second World War, it was illegal for any American magical to interact with a No-Maj.

But World War II had forced the MACUSA to repeal Rappaport's Law after almost 200 years in effect as so many witches and wizards had joined the fight*. The magical government was forced to reveal itself to several high-level government officials and work together to keep the magical world hidden from the general populace. Though it had been decades since then, it was only in the last twenty years that the American magical community had become more integrated with the nonmagical world. This was due to the spike in first generation (muggleborn) witches and wizards that brought their culture with them. Nonmagical parents were finally allowed to know of the magical world as a result. To better the country, the MACUSA also allowed a few agents working for their nonmagical counterparts to know of magic if they proved a trustworthy asset.

Hawkins and Rossi had worked together on four separate cases and stayed in touch even after Rossi retired. And so, it was Hawkins that Rossi had turned to when Gideon called him asking about Hogwarts.

After all this was explained, the subject finally turned to Hogwarts School for Witchcraft and Wizardry, where Harry's parents attended.

At this, Haley and Hotch turned to look at Harry. During the explanation, they had known in the back of their minds the reason why they were being told such a large secret.

"Harry's a wizard," Hotch monotoned.

"Yes," Hawkins confirmed. "I would assume you've noticed a bit of accidental magic in the time you've had him. Don't worry. That's normal for kids his age." Hawkins curiously studied the boy. Harry's eyes kept flickering between the adults. Though he tried to keep a blank face, his eyes were wide with uncertainty.

Haley immediately knelt in front of her son, knowing exactly where his thoughts had gone. "Harry, look at me," she said gently. "This doesn't change anything. I love you. Your father loves you. You are our son and we will never abandon you. I know what your aunt and uncle told you, but they were wrong. They probably knew about your magic and hated it, but it's not something to hate," she said fervently. "It's magic!" she said with a smile. "It's different, yes, and I don't understand it yet, but I know it can be wonderful because _you_ are wonderful. I love you with or without magic."

"Your mother's right, Harry," Aaron scooted next to him on the couch and lightly wrapped an arm around Harry's shoulders. "You're our son. We could never stop loving you."

Harry trembled for a moment before breaking down in sobs. Haley clutched him to her chest tightly and rocked him, both her and Hotch whispering reassurances to him. Eventually he calmed down. Though he remained silent, his parents took over asking about magic and the new world they found themselves a part of.

Unfortunately, Hawkins broke the news to them about how Harry's birth parents really died. It was a tale known the world over, so he was able to fully explain about the dark wizard known as Lord Voldemort and his reign of terror on the British magical community until he was stopped by Harry as a baby. Of course, the Hotchners didn't accept that a baby was able to stop a fully grown, powerful wizard and instead attributed it to something his parents had done.

Knowing that his parents weren't the horrible people his relatives portrayed them as calmed something in Harry. Sitting next to the couple who chose him, listening as they asked question after question in concern for _him_, he fully accepted for the first time ever that he was wanted. He had always been wanted. His parents died protecting him. The empty hole Harry had felt during his time with the Dursleys watching other kids have parents to dote on them burned for what could have been. Unlike all other times though, the pain quickly eased, soothed by the presence of his new parents and even the presence of his birth parents. Somehow, Harry felt an innate knowledge that seemed to whisper that it was okay. James and Lily wanted him to be happy. They loved him and it was okay to love his new mother and father. He felt completely at peace at finally _knowing_ who he was.

Harry was suddenly very happy that he had kept Potter as part of his last name.

To help the Hotchners, Hawkins, who turned out to be quite kind, told them how to find more information. First, he gave them instructions on how contact him if they had further questions, but to do that, they would need an owl. More specifically, they would need an owl bred by wizards to deliver mail. Luckily Washington D.C. had such a high population of wizards and witches that they had their own magical shopping center cleverly hidden inside Pentagon City Mall* on its own floor. Harry would be the only one who could see the various stairway entrances at first, but once they'd passed the wards, Haley and Aaron would be able to see and enter the area on their own any time after.

Hawkins gave them plenty of advice for visiting the Pentagon Magical Mall, as they called it. Their first stop would have to be at D.C.'s branch of Gringotts Wizarding Bank – run by goblins – to exchange their money for magical currency and to check if Harry had an inheritance. Hawkins warned Aaron and Haley to bring proof that they had custody of Harry, or else the goblins would deny them access. Afterwards, the family could visit the bookstore, Truncare & Gloss, where they could find all of the information they'd need to understand the American Magical World. Hotch had to be reassured that that included history and magical law.

The last helpful tidbit Hawkins had left them with was the name of a wizard who came to the United States several months ago and had visited the Wizarding Resources Department of the MACUSA to look for information on Harry Potter. Remus Lupin. Hawkins only knew his name because a colleague had introduced him; a colleague who had contact with Albus Dumbledore, Headmaster of Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. Aforementioned colleague had also let slip that Harry Potter was missing and that Dumbledore was trying to find him.

Aaron and Haley were both suitably concerned at this.

"I don't know what Dumbledore plans to do if he actually finds Harry, but you can be sure that he won't hear his whereabouts from me," Hawkins promised. "As for Lupin, I can tell you that he seemed like a good man; polite, respectful, intelligent, genuinely worried about Harry. He looked like sh-," Hawkins cut himself off with a glance at the six-year-old, "uh, like he needed some sleep, but I've learned to be a good judge of character in my line of work. I did some digging and made a call to a British auror I know. Turns out Lupin was a friend of the Potters." Hawkins shrugged. "Might be worth contacting him."

When the Hotchners left that night, their heads were spinning with everything they had been told. They hadn't even learned a fraction about the magical world. It would be a steep learning curve in raising a magical child and becoming a part of their world, for Haley and Aaron agreed as they laid in bed that they would not leave Harry to swim in uncharted waters. If Harry belonged to the magical world, they would work to belong as well.

The family made the trip to the mall the next day and were pleasantly surprised to find that they didn't stand out too much in the magical section. Some of the older generation were wearing floor-length robes, but the majority were wearing jeans and winter coats like the Hotchners. It seemed fashion was one aspect of nonmagical culture that American wizards had adopted.

Haley visibly startled at her first sight of an actual goblin but blinked away her shock and smiled politely at the armor-clad goblins guarding the doors to the bank. After asking a teller if they could look up the Potter's account, they were told to follow a goblin through a set of halls to a meeting room with an older goblin.

The sharp-toothed goblin called Caybrick informed them that they would need a drop of Harry's blood to confirm his identity, and then he could receive all account information. Aaron and Haley also showed him the paperwork that declared them Harry's legal guardians so that they could also access and manage his accounts until he came of age. Once that was done, Caybrick went over the Potter's banking information. Harry had inherited everything in the Potter family vault and the Potter trust vault. Exchanging and accessing the money from overseas was easy, but the items stored in the London branch vaults could only be removed in person.

Hotch took the chance to ask a question that had been on his mind ever since he'd learned the truth of Harry's parentage. "Did the Potters have a will by any chance?"

Caybrick narrowed his eyes. He shuffled the parchments in front of him until he came to the right one. "Yes. It says here the Potters had a shared will. It was last updated October 15th of 1998." Caybrick looked up and said gravely, "The will was never read nor carried out to its full extent. Harry, as the last descendant of the Potters, automatically received all monies and items left by his parents at the time of their deaths, aside from any monetary bequests Gringotts in its capacity could uphold. However, bequests involving legalities upheld by the British Ministry of Magic were outside of our capacity and were not carried out."

Hotch blinked. "Why not?"

"There are always two copies of a witch or wizard's will. One's stored in Gringotts and one's stored with their government in their records department. The copy of the Potter's will at the British Ministry of Magic was sealed," Caybrick replied. "The documentation is quite clear that it was sealed by Chief Warlock of the Wizengamot, Albus Percival Wulfric Brian Dumbledore. He is one of the few who'd have authorization to seal a will."

Hotch frowned and looked at Haley then down at Harry, who's expression matched his perfectly.

"Is it possible to receive a copy of that will?"

Caybrick grinned.

…

Hotch had much to do after that shopping trip. For one, he had to investigate the people James and Lily listed to take guardianship of Harry in case of their deaths. For another, he had to investigate Albus Dumbledore. The man had completely gone against the Potters' wishes by placing Harry with the Dursleys. The will specifically stated that Harry was _never_ to be given to Petunia and Vernon Dursley. He was to first go to his godfather, Sirius Black. Next was his godmother* and her husband, Alice and Frank Longbottom. These were the people it was most urgent to find, as Caybrick informed him that being a godparent held more meaning in the magical world. There were certain responsibilities that went along with the title purely because magic made it so. The magical guardianship automatically transferred to godparents after the parents' deaths, even if they did not have legal guardianship or custody of the child. They were the ones who could make decisions for Harry when it came to his part in the magical world, not Aaron or Haley.

After Harry's godparents, five other people were listed: Andromeda and Ted Tonks, Peter Pettigrew, Minerva McGonagall, and Alastor Moody. A handwritten note by James Potter stated that Remus Lupin would be listed as well if the "bloody ministry wasn't so strict about Moony's 'furry little problem". Hotch had no idea what that meant, but it did confirm that Lupin was a family friend and trusted with Harry.

Harry himself was immersed in the books they had bought on magical history and wizarding customs. At the rate he was going, they would be making another trip to the bookstore before New Year's. It was times like these that made Hotch wish Reid hadn't taught Harry how to speed read. Speaking of which, Gideon had called to tell him that he'd been contacted by the MACUSA. Apparently, Hawkins' superiors were impressed with Hotch and the BAU. They wanted to know if their unit would be interested in helping their aurors every so often. While that would help Aaron gain contacts in the magical world to help Harry, there would probably be a lot more paperwork and bureaucratic nonsense involved.

Hotch really didn't want to think about that at the moment. He already had enough headaches.

Despite the upheaval they'd just experienced, Aaron, Haley, and Harry were able to enjoy their first Christmas together as a family. No cases came up that took Hotch away, and he and Haley happily spoiled Harry with all the traditions he had never gotten to be a part of before. They spent all of Christmas Eve baking cookies and singing along to Christmas songs playing in the background. They watched _Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer_ and _The Polar Express_ until Harry nearly fell asleep cuddling with them. Then they tucked him in bed and snuck down to put all the presents they'd hidden under the tree for him to find in the morning.

However, Harry didn't come wake them in the morning. He had gone about his normal routine of making a cold breakfast and then reading, waiting for Haley and Aaron to wake. Any other parent would be glad to have their child let them sleep in on Christmas morning, but to the Hotchners, it was just another reminder of what Harry had been through. They knew he was excited. They knew he knew the presents were for him and he was happy even without receiving anything. But it was still a bit disappointing that Harry couldn't bring himself to rush into their room and urge them to get up at first light. It was too ingrained in him to not be a "burden".

Still, they shook off their disappointment and joined their son downstairs. They all opened presents and then Haley made a big breakfast for them. Afterwards, they spent the day lazing around and just being a family together. They ended up talking about magic, and Harry asked if they would be able to tell Spencer the secret, as he would love learning all about the magical world. Aaron told him it could probably be arranged, but that for now, Harry would have to keep it to himself. Harry's musings about magic and all the questions he had just led Haley and Aaron to wonder the same thing. How were they going to do this?

Hawkins had offered his help, but they couldn't bother him with their questions every day. They needed someone closer, someone who had a reason to spend a lot of time with them and could ease their way and Harry's into the magical world. They needed a magical friend.

It looked like Hotch had a letter to write. Good thing they'd bought an owl.

…

Remus Lupin was tired.

It was a feeling he was accustomed to, but this morning he could feel the fatigue deep down in his bones. It wasn't even close to a full moon, but another Christmas had passed without his friends, without any indication in his shabby apartment it was Christmas at all, and most importantly, without Harry Potter.

He missed his pseudo nephew.

He missed the way things were when he had friends like family; had brothers and a sister and a home and _hope_. He had love and laughter and even if there was a war raging around them, he still had something worth fighting for.

He only had one thing worth fighting for now. He had Harry, wherever he was, and Remus was determined to find him and never let him go again. Damn whatever Albus Dumbledore told him. Damn the laws forbidding him from taking custody. Damn whatever anyone else thought. The moment Remus was told Harry was missing in the United States, he resolved to never leave the only remaining family he had left. He immediately accepted the assignment of moving to the United States capital in an effort to find Harry.

To support himself, he'd gotten a part-time job at a magical artifacts shop in the mall. His job prospects weren't quite as hopeless here as in England thanks to the lack of laws that discriminated against werewolves, but it was still hard to find employment. Thankfully, his job of charming, warding, and sometimes analyzing and authenticating various magical artifacts didn't require him to be around people, and his employer was lenient with his hours as long as the inventory was completed. With Christmas over, Remus could take a break as the shop would be selling leftover items for the next few days before it would be back to work spelling new items.

An owl tapping at his window with a letter in its beak brought Remus out of his musings. It was with reluctance that Remus dragged himself out of his seat to open the window and retrieve the letter. A minute later, his knees had given out at what he had read.

…

Lupin had responded quickly and agreed to meet with the Hotchners a week later.

Haley and Aaron had been waiting for his knock at the door and welcomed him inside. Lupin, "Call me Remus," nervously greeted them and couldn't help looking all around the home. A few pictures of Harry had already been framed and put up and he walked to a hanging photo as though in a daze.

"It's been so long since I've seen him," he said, despair pouring out of every inch of him.

The Hotchners couldn't help but feel pity for the younger man, and quickly sat him down in the living room. Remus set his bag beside him and asked about Harry. The boy was currently spending the day at the museum with Spencer and wouldn't be back for a couple hours, so the three of them could talk alone.

Hotch explained the circumstances of how Harry first came to stay with them and how they soon decided to adopt him. Remus, knowing about the Dursleys' murders, wasn't too shocked at that. However, when he was told Harry had been abused by the Dursleys, his eyes flashed amber as his face contorted in anger. The fact that Albus Dumbledore had been the one to decide to leave Harry with the Dursleys and that he had sealed the Potters' will in order to do so unchallenged convinced Remus not to tell Dumbledore anything about Harry. He immediately offered to help in any way he could.

Haley and Aaron beamed at him and asked if he would be willing to stay in D.C. to help answer any questions they or Harry had, perhaps even tutoring Harry about the magical world.

"You would let me see him?" Remus asked with shock and just a tiny amount of hope.

"Of course," Haley answered. "You knew him as a baby. You were clearly close with his parents if they wanted you to take care of him when they were gone. I think it would be good for Harry to have you back in his life. I think it would be good for you too."

"There is one question I do have," Hotch interrupted before Remus could respond. "What did James Potter mean when he wrote that your 'furry little problem' prevented you from taking custody of Harry?"

Remus cringed. "I," he stuttered hesitatingly. "I-I'm a," he breathed in and then his shoulders slumped, head hanging. "I'm a werewolf."

The Hotchners blinked.

"A werewolf?" Haley repeated. "Those are real? Like 'howl at the moon' werewolf?"

Remus nodded once without looking up.

"Okay," Haley stated. "I'm assuming there's more to being a werewolf that I don't understand-"

"Probably some prejudice and discrimination judging by your behavior," Hotch stated.

"But," Haley continued. "the way I see it, as long as you're not _howling at the moon_," she teased, "you're fine."

Remus looked at them in shock and then proceeded to explain why they should be kicking him out the door right now, but the Hotchners, especially Aaron, were very good at arguing against every point he made. Eventually they convinced him that yes, they understood the danger of a werewolf during the full moon, but he was a man like any other at all other times of the month. They didn't care what he was, he didn't choose it, yet he still managed his condition so that he wouldn't hurt innocent people, and they would be happy to have him over at any time.

Remus nearly cried.

Hotch then turned the discussion over to Harry's godparents, Sirius Black and Alice Longbottom. Remus visibly tensed, a distant look coming to his eyes. It took a while, but he eventually explained the fate of the Longbottoms. The two aurors were tortured into insanity and now resided in St. Mungo's, the wizarding hospital in London. Their son Neville, Harry's godbrother, was raised by his paternal grandmother.

The story of Sirius Black took longer and left Remus drained. Hotch was new to magic, but he understood crime and criminal behavior. Fidelius Charms and secret keepers made no difference, and something just didn't add up. Hotch, despite feeling for the man, saw the discrepancies in the story, and prodded Remus for more information. After learning more of what Sirius was like in school, including the story about him tricking a boy named Severus Snape into nearly getting mauled by Remus in werewolf form, Hotch was convinced.

Yes, Sirius was raised in an environment that would encourage one to become a killer, but Black had very obviously rejected that path from an early age. Otherwise, there would have been signs. Furthermore, though Lupin thought Black being capable of murder at sixteen strengthened the evidence that he was a killer at heart, Hotch disagreed. Black wasn't actually capable of murder. He was reckless, yes. Immature. Vengeful even, but not a cold-blooded killer. Sixteen-year-old Sirius Black simply didn't think of the consequences of his actions, as many teens don't, and he didn't understand the seriousness of what he had done because he had accepted the wolf as a part of his friend – his friend that was actually very gentle, submissive, and would never hurt a soul. _Who_ Black had acted against in school also supported that Sirius was against Voldemort. He had even gone on to join this Order of the Phoenix and been a full-time fighter, partnering with James Potter on many missions*.

Sirius Black's supposed actions did not align with his character. Why would Sirius Black betray the Potters? Why would he join Voldemort? Why would he kill a street full of innocent people and then let himself be caught? _Why was only a finger left of Peter Pettigrew when Remus admitted that he knew of no spell that could do that to a body?_

Peter Pettigrew. His actions didn't make sense either. From how Remus described him, he was always timid, always looked over, never magically talented, never popular... so unlike his friends. It seemed like he only belonged in the group because he shared a dormitory with them. Why would he do something so uncharacteristic as to track down a murderer the he _knew_ he couldn't defeat in a duel? How did he even do it when Sirius had received training by a man called "Mad-eye" Moody? Remus told of how Sirius and James, though not aurors, had been put through almost every auror test by Moody, and therefore knew how to cover their tracks. Peter had no such training, having declined the offer.

Hotch was a criminal profiler. He solved murder cases for a living. He could guess what really happened, but he would need to be sure. If he was right, Sirius Black was an innocent man. But there were pieces missing in the story, and he needed them if he was going to find out the truth.

"Remus," Hotch said sternly, making Remus sit straighter, "I know you don't like thinking about that time, but can't you see the inconsistencies?" Remus had to admit that all the questions Hotch asked made the obvious story seem full of holes.

"There's something you're not telling me," Hotch deducted. "I need to know what it is."

Remus caved under Hotch's unwavering stare. He told them of how each of his three friends became what's known as an animagus, a wizard that could turn into an animal, so that they could keep him company during the full moon and prevent the wolf from hurting himself. As a person's animagus form reflected their own personality, Hotch just stared at Remus in disbelief when he was told what forms Black and Pettigrew took.

"Sirius was a dog," Hotch repeated slowly. "An animal that is best known for its loyalty and protective instincts. While Pettigrew was a rat…a RAT," he emphasized.

Haley leaned forward. "You do know that rats are labeled as commensals, right? They're opportunistic survivors. They live by benefitting off other species," she informed, her background as an earth science teacher coming in handy.

Remus blinked and didn't really have a response for them.

Hotch asked about Sirius's trial and if any of the questions he'd asked had been brought up at the time. Remus opened his mouth and then blinked in realization.

"I…I don't know," he admitted. At Hotch's raised eyebrow, Remus revealed that he didn't remember hearing _anything_ about Sirius Black's trial.

At this moment, Harry came barreling through the door with Spencer right behind. He immediately stopped once he saw that there was a man he didn't know. The change in Harry's behavior was obvious to everyone, even Remus.

Soon after Harry came to live with the Hotchners, they noticed that there were two sides to him. If Harry was around people he knew and trusted, he was a lively child full of curiosity and mischief and was almost always smiling. If there was even one person around that Harry didn't know though, he became silent, his walls going up. Constantly being on guard took its toll though, and Harry had experienced several panic attacks before Hotch, Reid, Dr. Oxland, and even Gideon had been able to teach him ways to cope with his social anxiety. As a result, Harry suffered less, but only because he knew how to channel his anxiety into observation so that he could deem most people he came across as harmless.

The ability would make him an amazing profiler one day, but in this mindset, Harry came off as a bit cold and indifferent. He was still polite and respectful as could be, but he had trouble conversing. Hotch was working with him on it. He hoped that with practice, Harry would learn that it was not about showing no emotion or faking who he was around people, but rather choosing what parts of himself people got to see first and opening himself up a little at a time.

Haley stood and gestured Harry over. Spencer lingered awkwardly until Hotch smiled and thanked him for taking Harry out. He also told him that Gideon wanted to talk with him later about a new opportunity offered to their unit of the BAU. Spencer left and Haley introduce Remus to Harry.

The six-year-old studied the man's face in confusion. He looked familiar.

"Do I know you?" he asked.

Remus grinned brightly. "You knew me when you were a baby. I was friends with your parents all through school and was there the day you were born. I used to babysit you all the time. I," he said nervously, "I was sort of like your uncle."

Harry frowned in confusion and leaned away.

"I'm sorry," Remus said quickly. "I'm so sorry I wasn't there for you before Harry. After your parents died, I wasn't allowed to see you. I asked. I asked so many times, but every time I was told it was better that you lived without any contact to the magical world until you were older. I…I gave up," he finished sadly.

Harry looked down and Remus reached into his bag. "I brought you some things. I have pictures of your parents, your birth parents that is…if you'd like to see them."

Harry looked up, bit of excitement in his eyes. He had no idea what his parents looked like. There weren't any pictures in the file Hotch had received.

Remus tried to smile. "I also brought you this." He produced a small stuffed wolf. It was a light grey color, fur slightly worn on the neck and back of the head.

"I was able to get it from your house after your parents died. I gave it to you when you were a baby. It belonged with a set, though I only took this and the stag and left the others. Here." Remus pulled out a stuffed deer with soft antlers and held that out as well. The stag seemed to be in perfect condition, unlike the wolf.

Remus smiled slightly as he looked at it. "Your father gave you this. He was always pouting how you like mine and…well, my stuffed animal better than his."

Harry took both plushies from Remus and looked at them. He rubbed his hand over the wolf and, without thinking, brought it up so he could rub his face against it's neck.

"Moony," Harry said.

Remus startled. Harry looked at him. "I called you that."

"Yes," Remus said in a voice choked with tears. "You called me Uncle Moony."

Harry looked at his parents. "Can Uncle Moony stay for dinner?"

Remus did cry that time.

Dinner was filled with laughter from all the stories Remus told about Harry's dad and his group of friends. Afterwards, it was still fairly early in the evening, and Hotch announced that he had to run an errand. He asked if Remus would stay until he returned. Haley agreed with him, knowing that Aaron was trying to allow Remus and Harry some more bonding time without his intimidating presence. Haley was much more subtle and could supervise the visit without imposing on the reunited uncle and nephew.

It took little more than an hour for Hotch to return. When he did, it was with a large shopping bag from Truncare & Gloss. When asked what books he bought, Aaron showed them.

"Why do you need books on Magical Law?" Remus asked. "_British_ Magical Law?"

Aaron looked at him determinedly. "I used to be a lawyer; a criminal prosecutor. I'll need to prepare if I'm going to be a criminal defense lawyer for a British wizard."

With that, Hotch and Remus started a brief outline on all argument points they had talked about earlier. They took a break for Haley and Aaron to tuck Harry in bed, but were soon back to work building their case in favor of Sirius Black.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *I found no information on the state of the American Magical Community anytime after the 1920's. I would assume that social reform had to occur though, just as it did in real life during the second half of the 20th century. So, I made this up, but I think with how the world changed at the dawn of the 21st century, the magical world would have changed too. Especially in a 1st world country that (for the most part) preached tolerance and acceptance of others.
> 
> *There are many shopping centers in DC, but Pentagon City Mall is one of the largest with 4 floors. I thought of having the magical shopping area be an alleyway like in London, but the MACUSA was hidden inside a major nonmagical building, so I figured wizards would probably do the same with their shopping center.
> 
> *In canon, Harry doesn't have a godmother, but I really liked the idea of Alice Longbottom being Harry's godmother. After all, Lily had to have friends in Hogwarts aside from the Marauders, who she actually wasn't friends with for the majority of their time there.
> 
> *JK Rowling told of how Harry's parents were full-time order members, living off the Potter family fortune. Still, if they had gotten a job, I think they would have been aurors. And if they were full-time fighters like Rowling said, they'd have to have been trained. Who better to train them than Moody?


	4. The First Year Part II

Nearly five months had passed since that night, and, in some ways, much had changed in the Hotchner household.

With Remus constantly invited over in the evenings, Hotch and Haley found their knowledge of magic growing in heaps and bounds. Haley herself was interested in the possible science behind magic and talked with Remus about various magical theories. Her favorite subject by far was potions, demanding that Remus teach her as well as Harry when he was old enough to start brewing. As Harry had progressed far faster in learning the necessary background knowledge than Remus had anticipated, they would be starting simple potions within the next few months.

Thankfully, Harry's study of magic didn't interfere with his normal studies. In fact, not only was Spencer and Remus teaching him, so was Derek Morgan. The men had all met and gotten along, even joining in with each other's lessons. Reid and Morgan's transition into that part of Harry's life had gone well enough.

After the chaos of the holidays, the family of three had quickly found a new rhythm.

Hotch and Harry still spent their time at Quantico just as they had before, though a MACUSA representative had visited them and gone over the terms of allowing the BAU to work with their aurors should it ever be needed. Chief Strauss had already known of magic, and no one could agree if that fact was surprising or made perfect sense. She didn't want any part of the magical world though, and wasn't thrilled that her superiors wanted to reallocate one of her best units. Strauss had no choice in the matter, so made it clear that even if they would not be under her command for any magical case, she was still their superior and in charge of them at any other time.

Gideon was given the honor of choosing who would get to learn of magic as he was the unit leader and could judge who could not only be trusted, but also react well with the knowledge. Spencer, of course, was immediately let in on the secret and conspired with Harry to learn as much about magic as possible. Agent Martinez had not passed Gideon's evaluation though, and she'd needed to be reassigned sooner than she'd wanted.

Derek Morgan had originally posed more of a question. He was new to the team and Gideon had wanted to know him more before deciding whether to tell him or not. While not as knowledgeable of profiling precedence or technical terms as the other members of the team, Morgan was excellent at reading human behavior. He was just as easily able to modify his own behavior to suit the situation, whether it was to connect, intimidate, or make another feel in control. Morgan was also a qualified field agent; "the muscle" as some would call it, which they had needed with the departure of Agent Bends.

On a more personal level, Morgan was very likeable. He had an easy air about him, quick to smile or joke. Spencer grumbled about him, but everyone knew it was all a show and that he actually was quite flattered the older agent wanted to be his friend. Because for whatever reason, Morgan had almost immediately taken to the doctor, forcing the far too serious young man to have more fun in life. Harry had also been taken under Morgan's wing, but only after Morgan had made it clear how he felt about letting a child loose in the bullpen. He was given the same arguments as Haley and Strauss and came to understand the reasoning and sentiment behind the decision. Morgan hadn't liked it, still didn't, but he accepted it and went one step further to actively take part in teaching Harry.

Unlike Spencer, Morgan's lessons were less academic and more interpersonal and cultural, teaching Harry how to interact with people. He and Harry – and sometimes Spencer – spent their time together doing things normal kids would do, from watching movies to playing games or pranking Harry's other honorary uncles.

It was Morgan's guidance that finally got Harry to open up around strangers, though he tended to act a lot like Morgan, which concerned Hotch at first. Then Harry explained how Uncle Morgan taught him to fake confidence until he felt it. Morgan apparently reiterated what Hotch had said about always being oneself, but explained it further.

"You don't have to trust people to be who you really are," Morgan told Harry. "I know you want to hide what you think and what you feel because you're afraid. You're afraid someone will see you and hurt you because they'll see your weak spots. But the thing is," Morgan said seriously, "by shutting down, you let them know you're afraid; that you _have_ weak spots. If you really want to protect yourself, act like those weak spots don't exist, and no one will see them. Even if you don't feel confident, act like you do. I promise it's worth it. When you act confident, _not arrogant_," Morgan added sternly, "but confident, it makes other people feel confident too, because people tend to mimic the reactions of those around them. If you want someone to talk to you, ya gotta talk to them and give 'em a chance."

Morgan then smirked. "Once you master the art of small talk, then I'll teach you how to talk to people like a profiler," he promised. "I'll teach you every trick I know on how to get the kind of reaction you want."

Harry had grinned wide. "Will you teach me to tell when people are lying?"

"I'll teach you how to read their body language so well, they won't have to say a word for you to know the truth."

Morgan's teachings had the unfortunate – for Hotch – side effect of Harry's hidden sarcasm and pithy wit coming out more frequently, something Gideon found endlessly amusing.

With Harry's seal of approval, Gideon had made the executive decision that Morgan should know about the magical world only a month after he started. Finding out his unofficial nephew was a wizard had taken some adjusting, but Morgan had adapted, remaining firm in his protective role over Harry and teaching him how to protect himself.

The final change for the BAU team was their new member, a public liaison. Their deal with the MACUSA meant that they would be responsible for covering up any magical case with the No-Maj media, and because their unit had been dealing more and more with local police agencies, Chief Strauss had decided to assign one exclusively for their team. Hotch had found the first candidate incompetent, and none of the boys had liked her. Gideon also found her too argumentative, especially for someone who was supposed to smooth over the working relationship of the FBI with local law enforcement.

The new recruit, Jennifer Jareau, was doing a much better job. Harry and Spencer seemed to have a bit of a crush on her though, not that Hotch could really blame them. When Haley was told, she snorted into her coffee and alternated between laughing and cooing over how adorable it was. It was acknowledged that JJ would probably be told of magic, the sooner the better. Hotch wanted to ask her for advice on how to handle the trial of Sirius Black in regards to the ministry and media.

After months of late nights studying British Magical Criminal Law and consulting with Remus, Hotch felt he knew every nuance involved with a magical trial held in the Wizengamot. It was time to contact the British Ministry of Magic.

…

Amelia Bones had held the title of Head of the Department of Magical Law Enforcement for about four years now. Ever since Barty Crouch Sr. had been forced to step down and transfer departments, Amelia had taken up the position with competence and determination. Little had occurred in the last few years that she had not been able to handle swiftly and in accordance to the law.

That's why the letter sitting on her desk on a Monday morning in early May shook her to her core.

If it was true that Sirius Black may be innocent, that he had never even had a trial, the Ministry would face horrible backlash.

"Get me the court records for Sirius Black," she demanded of her assistant.

Once the assistant left, Amelia sat and thought. The Black family was a prominent wizarding family. Though most of its members had either died, been disowned, or imprisoned in recent years, the Black name still held power. It was one of the sacred twenty-eight and Sirius Black, as the former heir and now Head of the Black family, held a seat on the Wizengamot.

_Please_, thought Amelia with crossed fingers. _Please let there be records of a trial or sentence hearing or SOMETHING!_

The Ministry could not have illegally incarcerated a Lord for over five years. Yet, when her assistant timidly reported that she could find no record of Sirius Black's trial, Amelia sighed and hung her head. Not one to be defeated, Amelia quickly sucked in a breath and straightened her spine.

Time to call an urgent meeting with the Minister and Barty Crouch.

…

It took another few weeks of constant letters being sent back and forth between Washington D.C. and London, but Hotch finally managed to convince the Ministry of Magic to hold a trial for Sirius Black once he took JJ's suggestion of telling them he'd go to the media with the story.

JJ's acceptance into the magical world was the easiest so far, as she easily accepted the truth without asking unending questions.

"I've always believed in magic," she told them. "Really the knowledge doesn't change much. People are still people and I know exactly how to handle them."

JJ had taken almost sadistic pleasure in writing up a press release about Sirius Black. Hotch sent it to the Ministry warning that copies would be sent to the Daily Prophet and Wizarding Wireless News Station, the two premier British news sources Remus had told him about.

As the Ministry wanted to keep the trial as quiet as possible, they ceded to Hotch's demands, and Sirius's trial was scheduled for June 15th. In the meantime, Hotch had been sent copies of every piece of evidence the Ministry had in regards to Sirius Black. There was very little, but he made use of what he was given by calling in some favors and promising some in turn with Auror Hawkins. The hardest piece of evidence to obtain was the finger of Peter Pettigrew, but Hotch demanded it. The law was on his side, and Madame Bones was forced to write up a warrant to exhume Pettigrew's finger no matter how upset Mrs. Pettigrew was.

Hotch got permission from the BAU to take leave and headed to London a week prior to the trial. As neither he nor Haley wanted anyone to know of Harry's whereabouts, the two would be staying at home. They'd have to wait to meet Sirius until he was freed and arrived with Hotch back home.

…

Sirius Black was confused.

He had no sense of how long he'd been in Azkaban, but he knew from the length of his hair that it had been several years at least. His mind was still clearing of the effects of the dementors as he sat in a small, windowless room on one of two chairs with a desk in between. He thought he was in the Ministry of Magic, but he honestly couldn't be sure. His mind was still foggy. One minute, he'd been lying in his cell in dog form when he heard footsteps headed his way. After he'd changed back, his door was thrust open by two guards who'd handcuffed him and dragged him from the cell down several flights of stairs until the salty air hit his face. He was practically dumped into a boat with four aurors, and once they'd reached the mainland, they apparated him directly to this room.

Now he was alone and wondering what was going on; if he would _finally_ be able to tell someone what really happened.

A click sounded from the door and a man in a plain black muggle suit walked in with a briefcase, an auror closing and locking the door behind him.

"Sirius Black," the man said in a deep baritone with an American accent. "My name is Aaron Hotchner. I'm here to talk to you about your upcoming court trial."

"I didn't betray James and Lily," Sirius croaked out immediately.

"I know."

"I didn't kill anyone!"

"I know."

"I didn't – wait, you know?"

Aaron simply inclined his head and sat down across from him. "I also know the true culprit is Peter Pettigrew and that both of you are unregistered animagi."

Sirius blinked.

"Mr. Black," Hotch began, "there's much we need to discuss. I have managed to convince the ministry to give you a trial. I would like to be your defense attorney. Before we go any further, you need to agree to that."

"You got me a trial?" Sirius asked, coughing slightly to clear his throat.

Hotch reached into his bag and pulled out a bottle of water that he offered to Sirius. He eagerly took it and gulped half of it down.

"Why?" he asked after. "Who are you?"

Hotch scrutinized him with narrowed eyes, making Sirius shift in his seat.

"Do you accept my offer of defending you?"

Sirius only took a moment to think it over. "I suppose if you're the reason I'm out of Azkaban right now, then yes."

"Before I say anything else, I need you to tell me everything that happened on the night of October 31st, leading into the days following and the confrontation between you and Peter Pettigrew."

Sirius began speaking, at first stopping his story to explain who everyone was. Hotch told him he already knew all the background information and to just say what happened from his viewpoint. Sirius agreed and told Hotch the very story he had been able to deduce, including the fact that Peter Pettigrew may still be alive, as all that was recovered was a finger.

When Sirius fell silent, Hotch steepled his fingers in front of him in thought.

"I'm going to be honest with you Mr. Black."

"Sirius, please."

"I'm not certain I can win your case," Hotch stated bluntly. "I firmly believe in your innocence and may very well convince others of the same. If this trial were held in a muggle court in the Unites States, I would have no worries about your exoneration. However, this court will be held in the Wizengamot where I have never practiced and with rules and laws that I am new to. The fact that this is a high-profile case which will undoubtedly gain media attention no matter how much the Ministry wants to hide it doesn't help, especially as your original capture and jailing gained the Ministry favor among the magical community. The government will be highly unwilling to admit they've incarcerated an innocent man who just so happens to be a high-ranking wizard for more than five years."

Sirius's face fell as the reality of his situation set in.

Hotch continued speaking in his blunt manner. "Your case is not hopeless though. Far from. I have been preparing your defense for the last five months and feel that there is a very good chance I can prove your innocence. I have multiple back-up plans in place and have managed to obtain warrants to view and examine all evidence against you by an independent third party. Best case scenario is that our motion to use veritaserum or make use of a pensieve is approved. However, any Wizengamot member can object to the use as there are ways to resist truth serum and modify memories." Hotch paused. "Considering the reluctance of the Ministry to give you a trial at all, I believe someone will object and the motion denied. That just means we'll have to do this the muggle way, without magical means. We _can _prove your innocence," Hotch said. "The problem will be forcing the Wizengamot to accept it and take the hit to their reputation."

Sirius nodded slowly and breathed out. "Okay. I…I trust you. I think. Which is odd because I don't even know you." He shook his head slightly. "I'm sorry, but I just don't understand who you are or why you're defending me."

Hotch's face softened. "Two reasons. The first is that I'm a big supporter of justice. I couldn't live with myself if I knew an innocent man was locked away and I did nothing. The other is because my son deserves to know his godfather."

Sirius blinked. "Your son?"

Hotch nodded. "It's a bit of a story. I don't know if you've managed to figure it out or not, but I'm not a wizard."

Sirius sat ramrod straight in his seat. "You're not?" he exclaimed.

Hotch grinned ruefully. "No. I'm a muggle, or No-Maj as they say in America. I live in Washington D.C. and I work for the Behavioral Analysis Unit of the FBI. I investigate crime and criminals for a living. Before that I was a criminal prosecutor, so this is a bit new to me – keeping someone out of jail instead of trying to put them away. Still, this just means I know every argument that'll be used against us. As for how I got involved in your case, well, it started with the murders of an English family. The Dursleys."

Hotch watched Sirius's expression carefully as he connected the name. He added, "All three were killed, but Petunia Dursley's nephew survived."

"Harry!" Sirius exclaimed with fear shining in his eyes. "Is he okay? Where is he? Can I see him? Wait. Why was he with the Dursleys? Petunia hated Lily!"

Hotch held up his hands to calm Sirius. "Harry is fine. He's back home with my wife, Haley. I had been granted temporary guardianship of him until the case was solved, but neither of us could give him up to go into foster care when it came time, so we adopted him."

Sirius blinked, face falling again. In a whisper he asked. "You adopted him?"

"Yes. He's been with us for nearly a year now. I understand that you were supposed to take care of him after his parents died, but I need to make it clear that he is my son now; mine and Haley's. I love him and want what's best for him. If I thought being with you was best, I'd let him go, but I know it's not."

Sirius opened his mouth as though to argue, but Hotch cut him off. "Harry was abused by the Dursleys."

Sirius gasped quietly.

"There are things about Harry that you don't know and wouldn't be able to help him with," Hotch stated. "Harry is happy with us. He calls me dad. He calls Haley mom. I don't mean to say that we replaced your friends. I know we haven't because he'll call Lily and James mum and dad as well. But he considers us his parents and if we fight over him, it will only harm him, as would you taking him away when he finally has a happy and stable home life."

Sirius frowned in thought.

"I'm here trying to get you free." Hotch leaned forward. "Harry is my son, but you are still his godfather, and Harry needs you. Remus visits almost every day. He and Harry have formed a close relationship. They're family again just as they always should have been. I'm hoping you'll agree to something similar."

"Remus is with Harry?" Sirius asked in a small, hopeful voice.

Hotch nodded. "He's 'Uncle Moony' and Harry's magical tutor."

Sirius smiled slightly as silence descended. Hotch broke it by explaining how he came to learn of Harry's identity and the magical world. That led to him obtaining the Potters' will and reaching out to Remus Lupin, who told Hotch more about the people in the Potters' lives. Sirius was chagrined to learn that Hotch knew right away that there was more to the story of himself and Peter Pettigrew. He truly was the only reason Sirius was granted a trial. By the end of the explanation, Sirius couldn't begrudge the man for adopting his godson and doing the job he was meant to do. He'd blown his chance, but now he was given the opportunity to rejoin Harry's life. Really, Sirius could only be grateful to the man.

"Alright," Sirius said with forced cheer. "Tell me what I need to do to win my freedom."

…

The Daily Prophet

SIRIUS BLACK INNOCENT!

By Rita Skeeter

In a stunning turn of events, Sirius Black was proclaimed innocent this afternoon in a secret trial held by the Wizengamot that started early this morning.

How could this be when the history of Sirius Black and his crimes in support of the Dark Lord are so well known to the wizarding world?

Ladies and Gentlemen, the truths that I am about to reveal are so shocking, I myself can hardly believe the story of secrecy, betrayal, and cover-up. In fact, the only reason I can reveal it at all is due to luck. Whilst visiting the ministry several days ago, a source revealed that the old courtrooms that hadn't been used since the time of He-Must-Not-Be-Named would be in use once again. Following this lead, I showed up to the courtrooms this morning, and had to point out that any trials held there were open to the public. Only then was I grudgingly allowed inside, as the ministry desperately wished to conceal the grave error they made years ago, and with good reason.

For the last five years, the world has believed that Sirius Black was a Death Eater and one of the biggest supporters of You-Know-Who. We believed the story that he betrayed his long-time friend, James Potter, to the Dark Lord, which led to both his and Lily Potter's deaths, leaving their infant son, Harry Potter, an orphan. The subsequent defeat of You-Know-Who at the hands of the Boy-Who-Lived drove Sirius Black to flee as followers were being rounded up by the ministry. However, another friend of theirs from Hogwarts, Peter Pettigrew, tracked Black down and confronted him about what he'd done. Black, in a fit of rage, destroyed an entire street full of muggles, killing twelve innocent bystanders along with Peter Pettigrew. The aurors were called and Black was apprehended, apparently too busy laughing at the damage he'd caused.

Afterwards, Black was found guilty of the murders and thrown into Azkaban as he rightfully deserved. This was supposed to be fact.

I am sad to report that a grave miscarriage of justice occurred in November of 1998, which resulted in Sirius Black never receiving a trial and being falsely imprisoned for five and half years.

Are you ready to learn what really happened that fateful day my dear readers?

I had no knowledge of who would be present when I entered the courtroom, so I was rightfully taken aback at the sight of Sirius Black, notorious mass murderer. The last time his face was seen, it was of his mugshot, released to the press shortly after his incarceration (_see pg. 4) _in which he looked quite deranged. The man sitting in the center of the courtroom, however, was the opposite. Black presented himself as a handsome man, well-dressed, well-groomed, and with a pleasant smile on his face despite the magical chains binding him to his chair.

Strange as Black seemed, what's perhaps stranger was the lawyer representing him. Mr. Hotchner, a handsome American wizard with a deep, commanding voice dressed in muggle fashion, would prove throughout the trial a force to be reckoned with. The proceedings began as normal. The trial was called in session and the charges listed, including murder on thirteen counts, treason, and conspiracy. Sirius Black pleaded not guilty on all counts. Immediately after, Mr. Hotchner made a motion to release Black from his bindings while he remained in the courtroom, providing such sound reasoning that the Wizengamot could not refuse.

Mr. Hotchner than made a motion to administer veritaserum to Black, which he would willingly ingest. The motion was denied. Mr. Hotchner's second motion to use a pensieve to view Sirius Black's memories of what occurred five years ago was also denied, as memories can be falsified.

These failures did not deter Mr. Hotchner.

I'm unable to write the full details of what occurred in the following three hours. To do so would take a novel. I will instead write that Mr. Hotchner defended Sirius Black with intelligence and unarguable evidence. So much so that the Wizengamot could not refute the truth that was revealed.

It seems that the root of Sirius Black's "crimes" started with one piece of misinformation: Who was the Potters' secret keeper?

As we all know, You-Know-Who had been hunting the Potters for over a year before their deaths. After their son was born, they went into hiding, eventually making use of the Fidelius Charm, which will confine a secret inside an individual, known as the Secret Keeper. Once enacted, the knowledge of this secret, such as one's location, will be unknown to anyone unless told by the secret keeper under their own free will. _(For more info, see pg. 10)_.

Sirius Black was believed to be the Potters' secret keeper. Albus Dumbledore even confirmed this years ago after Black was arrested, but it seems it was all a ruse.

When called to give testimony, Black explained that, while he had originally been chosen to be the secret keeper, at the last moment, they used another. Black explained how he had realized that everyone would believe him to be secret keeper and would come after him. Though he firmly declared that he would never have given up his best friend, he wanted to add another layer of protection.

And so, the Potters switched secret keepers and told no one, making everyone believe Black was the only one who could tell of the Potters' whereabouts and thus making him the target. Meanwhile, the real secret keeper would be someone know one would ever think to go after.

Who was this secret keeper?

It was none other than Peter Pettigrew, given the Order of Merlin First Class after he bravely confronted Black for his betrayal and killed.

Or so we believed.

Black and Mr. Hotchner had quite the time convincing the Wizengamot of the switch in secret keepers. In truth, they had no evidence, but they called in several character witnesses, including Madame Rosemerta, owner of the Three Broomsticks in Hogsmeade. Everyone who knew James Potter, Sirius Black, and Peter Pettigrew all said the same thing: Potter and Black were as close as brothers from their very first year at Hogwarts, never having one without the other. Pettigrew was always just an afterthought, never being exceptional in any regard.

Mr. Hotchner used this to paint a picture which is hard to argue against despite the lack of evidence. Because of Black and Potter's bond, everyone _would_ think Black would be their secret keeper, but who would ever suspect Peter Pettigrew? Yet, why would Pettigrew betray his friends in a way that would lead to their deaths? As Mr. Hotchner pointed out though: Why would Sirius Black?

It was then Mr. Hotchner submitted evidence from an auror in America. Law enforcement across the pond has been making use of a new technique called "Criminal Profiling" which analyzes a criminal's background and behavior in order to understand their actions in the past and predict their actions in the future. Though untested here in Britain, the case files given to the Wizengamot showed the success of the technique. After the court accepted that there was value in "Criminal Profiling", Mr. Hotchner submitted the profiles done by Auror Hawkins of the MACUSA for both Sirius Black and Peter Pettigrew.

The profiles were astounding.

To sum up the reports, Sirius Black was least likely to ever betray his friends and had no motive to do so. As Black had never been formally disowned, he was still quite wealthy and powerful, both magically and in society. And while his family had supported You-Know-Who and the Dark Arts, Sirius Black had vehemently denounced the Dark Arts from a very young age and fought against You-Know-Who's reign. Testimony from character witnesses proclaim he had no contact with anyone supporting You-Know-Who, so could not been convinced to join the Death Eaters. To prove this, Sirius Black simply rolled up his left sleeve to reveal his forearm.

Sirius Black does not have the Dark Mark.

His arm was examined physically and magically, and Black had never been branded with the sign of You-Know-Who's followers.

The profile of Peter Pettigrew was not as kind. It claimed that Pettigrew would have been likely to join You-Know-Who and his Death Eaters if given the right incentive. Witness testimony supported the claim that Pettigrew had always gravitated towards those who had the most power and would act in his own self-interest. In addition, the lack of recognition compared to his friends could have given Pettigrew an inferiority complex, driving him to feel jealous and bitter towards his childhood friends.

Yet, this did not prove Sirius Black's innocence. At this point in the trial, most of the evidence was circumstantial. However, irrefutable evidence was brought up with the next part of the tale. Evidence that forced even the staunchest believers in Black's guilt to admit he was innocent.

As Black proclaimed that Pettigrew had been secret keeper, so too did Black proclaim that he had been the one to track Pettigrew down for his betrayal, not the other way around. After being trapped into a corner, Pettigrew shouted about how Sirius had betrayed James and Lily for all around to hear, setting him up to take the fall for what happened next.

While Black was distracted with Pettigrew's words, Pettigrew cut off his own finger behind his back and then shot a blasting curse at the ground between them. The blast inadvertently hit a gas pipe that was underground, which exploded on impact and destroyed the street above, causing the deaths of the twelve muggles. Black cast a shield charm to protect himself, but the explosion allowed Pettigrew to escape. When the dust cleared, Black was surrounded by numerus bodies and with the knowledge that his former friend had tried to kill him.

Telling this story, Black's eyes had teared up. He ended his testimony by saying that as he stood in that street after all the loss he'd just suffered, he could only laugh at how Pettigrew had outsmarted him, for if he didn't, he might well have gone insane with grief.

While this is all a good story, Mr. Hotchner prove it to be fact with three key pieces of evidence.

The first piece of evidence Mr. Hotchner provided proved who cast the spell that caused such damage. He brought forward the photographs of the street taken by the Ministry's own aurors and pointed out the gas pipes and sewers exposed by the blast. Until now, it was unknown how a street could be destroyed by a single spell, but Mr. Hotchner had the testimony of explosive experts on hand that detailed where the blast originated and the directionality of the explosion, lining up with the effects of a blasting curse hitting a gas pipe cast from where Pettigrew was known to be standing. Mr. Hotchner had gone so far as to hire an independent party to recreate the event, and the results perfectly matched what happened five years ago when Pettigrew cast the blasting curse. Had Black done so, the explosion would have radiated in the opposite direction.

The second piece of evidence provided was Black's wand. The Ministry had kept it along with all the other evidence they'd gathered all these years in storage. Using the Reverse Spell Effect, it showed that the last spell cast was the shield charm, backing up Black's story, especially as he had not resisted arrest when the aurors arrived. Using priori incantatem to go further back through the spell history, we saw many spells used to either track or trace, again, supporting the story that Black had been hunting Pettigrew and not fleeing for his life.

The final bit of evidence was an autopsy of Pettigrew's finger, the only part of his body found at the scene. First Mr. Hotchner argued that there would have been more of Pettigrew found had he died in the blast. He provided several reports detailing the heat needed to disintegrate a body fully, heat that was not reached in the explosion. Then Mr. Hotchner provided photographs of the finger bone, focusing on where it was cut. The autopsy report, done by a specialist in the MACUSA, clearly stated that the bone was cut using a lightly serrated knife, most likely a pocketknife. It was not burned off or cut using any magical means.

The Wizengamot could not reconcile the proof in front of them with the story they had believed all these years. The only story the evidence supported was the one Sirius Black had given; a story where he was innocent of the crimes he was accused of.

And so, when the vote came to clear Sirius Black of all charges, nearly all members of the Wizengamot voted to release Sirius Black with recompense of five thousand galleons for every year he was falsely imprisoned. That number was reduced however when Mr. Hotchner declared that Sirius Black would like to turn himself in for being an unregistered animagus. They then informed the court that Peter Pettigrew was also an unregistered animagus who took the form of a rat.

Sirius Black was fined five thousand galleons and would need to register his animagus form, but no jail time would be served as he had already fulfilled the maximum sentence during his illegal imprisonment.

Peter Pettigrew has been stripped of his Order of Merlin, and a warrant has been issued for his arrest _(See pg. 3)_.

While I applaud Madame Bones for doing her duty as Head of Law Enforcement and bringing about this trial to correct a horrible injustice, there are still several questions that remain. Among them is how an affluent member of our society could simply be thrown into Azkaban so carelessly without any attempt to prove his guilt. Does this mean the Ministry can incarcerate anyone should they choose? Where is the accountability? Are there more like Sirius Black, rotting away in Azkaban when they are innocent? Are there more like Peter Pettigrew, who have committed vile and heinous acts and yet are walking free?

This reporter urges its readers to stand up and demand the Ministry of Magic to review all cases handled under Bartemius Crouch Sr.'s administration to make sure that no other misuse of power occurred.

As for what Sirius Black will do now that he is a free man, I am afraid both he and Mr. Hotchner gave no comment and left the Ministry immediately following the verdict. Wherever you are now, Lord Black, we at the _Prophet_ wish you the very best in life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am not a lawyer. I have no knowledge of how a court trial actually goes, so I wrote Sirius's trial as an article to A) give an overview where I could pick and choose where to give details and B) show you guys what Magical Britain is told of these kind of events as it'll come back into play later.


	5. Baby Girl

The reunion between Harry and Sirius was bittersweet for the pair. Both were aware of just how much time they'd missed in each other's lives, but they determined not to waste another moment and bonded together just as easily as Remus and Harry had. As for the two remaining marauders, the first things they said to each other were apologies. In fact, neither of them stopped apologizing until Morgan swatted the two on their heads and said, "Just hug already!"

They forgave each other quickly after that.

Sirius, not needing to work to support himself, permanently moved to the United States – with Hotch's help – and bought a house right down the street from the Hotchners. He set up their floos and erected wards around the properties to protect them. Remus easily gave up his shabby apartment after being invited to live with him, but he kept his part-time job. He wanted to carry his own weight and had grown to like the work.

Remus also wanted to be there for Sirius. While they could mostly pick up their friendship right where they'd left off, bickering and teasing each other like an old married couple, sometimes the fact that Sirius had been in Azkaban could not be ignored. His maturity level was about the same as it had been when he'd been sent to prison, tragically, the day before his twenty-second birthday*. At times, he seemed to get lost in his memories, a side effect of long-term exposure to dementors that would fade with time.

Luckily, Sirius's current euphoria seemed to outweigh any depressive states. As long as he wasn't left alone too long, Sirius was fine. It was one of many reasons Harry stopped going to Quantico on the days when he wasn't allowed in the bullpen and started staying with Sirius while everyone else was working.

Once again, the family's routine changed, but no one was complaining. Harry finished his first year of homeschool, acing the tests for two years' worth of education just as Spencer had predicted. Despite his progress in social settings, they all decided public school would be too boring for him, so he would continue to be homeschooled, especially as Harry didn't stop learning during the summer. He just reduced the hours he spent studying.

Haley was home all day now that her teaching duties had ended for a couple months, and she and Harry were able to spend more time with each other. Part of that time was spent learning about magic. Haley shared Harry's excitement when Remus walked them through their very first potion brewing. It was a simple Taste Altering potion that would make any food it was poured on to taste like their choice of fruit, but they enjoyed it all the same.

Sirius, while not as studious as Remus, was still knowledgeable about many aspects of magic and joined in. He taught Harry about his ancestry and about wizarding culture in Britain and other European countries, including Harry's duties as a Lord. True, the Potters weren't part of the Scared Twenty-Eight, but the family had held a seat on the Wizengamot since its creation, which afforded Harry the title and responsibilities*. While doing so, Sirius realized he needed to sort out quite a few Black family matters, including reaching out to Andromeda Tonks.

Communicating across an ocean took time even for wizards though, so meanwhile Sirius introduced his godson to flying on a broomstick. Both backyards were warded so that no one would see them up to a certain height. Haley needed to be convinced it was safe, but Harry was allowed to fly if he was supervised. Altogether, Sirius brought Harry and the Hotchners more laughs than they'd ever had before. It was a wonder the man still had a sense of humor after Azkaban, but Sirius was making great progress in moving on from the ordeal. Aside from the long talks with Moony, it just wasn't in his nature to dwell on the past.

"I'm out now and I have you," Sirius said to Harry. The nearly seven-year-old had showed his concern when Sirius complained about the daily muscle rebuilding potion he had to take. It was one of several nutrient potions Remus promised to force on him for the first six months out of prison to regain his health. "I have all of you," Sirius continued solemnly as he looked at the Hotchners. The other adults, including Spencer and Morgan, had rallied around Remus and never let Sirius skip a potion.

This concern was what really made Sirius accept the Hotchners. A small, secret part of him had still harbored a bit of resentment to the couple, but he came to love them just as he had loved James and Lily – just as he'd begun to care for the other BAU members. After realizing this, he cornered Haley and confessed to her that, much like Remus, he had never thought he would gain another family after what had happened. He was infinitely grateful he did.

"You're a lot like Lily," Sirius told her. "Maybe not as fiery in temperament. You hold your tongue more than Lily ever did and are infinitely more patient with your husband." He chuckled. "Still just as strong though, and as kind." He hesitated for a moment. "Lily would approve. So would James. I don't know if…well, I thought you should know. Maybe James and Lily didn't pick you to raise Harry, but if they could see you now, they wouldn't want Harry to be anywhere else. They'd be happy he was with you."

Neither Haley nor Hotch had realized just how much they needed to hear those words. Whenever someone brought up Harry's parentage before, both went on the defense. They felt the need to prove that they were Harry's parents in every way that mattered. They weren't substitutes.

They didn't feel that need anymore; that disconnect, the _doubt_. It had taken almost a year and many challenges, but now they were simply Harry's parents.

With the two British wizards, Haley and Harry explored magic, sharing their findings with Aaron every night he came home. Spencer joined in as often as he could, spouting ways to test out his theories of magic versus science. His proposal intrigued both men, who'd never thought of magic in the way Spencer suggested.

"I've read almost every book on magical theory sold by Truncare & Gloss. Now, the definition of magic is to create, change, or influence something in a seemingly impossible and inexplicable way," Spencer said when explaining his idea. "That means magic could theoretically do the impossible, but your magic _can't_. There laws of magic just as there are laws of physics: the Fundamental Laws of Magic, Gamp's Law of Transfiguration, the Principal of Artificianimate Dominance," Spencer listed. "You are limited, not just by power but by _possibility._ My theory is that you are bound by the same laws of physics that the rest of the natural world is. If you are, then there is a way to prove it. And if it _is_ proven true, then what you're doing isn't necessarily magic, but _energy manipulation!_" Spencer concluded excitedly.

And so, they started analyzing magic with a scientific eye. They were especially curious as to why magic affected electricity, which needed to be solved as the technology in both houses belonging to Sirius and the Hotchners were starting to be affected by the ambient magic building up.

Luckily, they got more help when it came to analyzing magic.

While trying to find two serial killers that targeted prostitutes over the internet, the team had arrested a wanted hacker by the name of "The Black Queen". Hotch convinced the FBI to recruit her instead of sending her to jail, and she, Penelope Garcia, had agreed. However, just because she was assigned to their team didn't guarantee that she would be told of magic. Before Gideon could even begin to study her though, Harry had made the choice for him.

While the other team members were introduced to Penelope, Harry went into her office to snoop. He had always been good at sensing the people around him. It wasn't until he'd learned of magic and Remus taught him about magical cores that he realized that was how he did it. Since Remus came into his life, he'd gotten pretty good at sensing magic, as he was constantly going back and forth between magical and nonmagical locations and interacting with both wizards and muggles. Each time, he became more and more sensitive to the presence of magic, so he was able to sense the magic on Penelope Garcia. She obviously was not a witch, but she was around magic of some kind that had rubbed off on her.

It took only one look at her desk for Harry to find his answer, so he went back to the bull pen and saw that the team had moved to a briefing room. Harry slipped inside and closed the door, then walked up to the blonde with a large smile.

"Hi! I'm Harry Potter-Hotchner. Do you know how to make electricity work around magic?"

Harry wished he'd gotten pictures of everyone's faces. Through the gasps, coughs, forced laughs and weak explanations from everyone else, Penelope just blinked at Harry before matching his wide grin.

"Not yet I'm afraid," she answered. "But I think I'm close!"

Morgan sputtered, "What? You – what?"

Harry turned to him with a giggle. "She knows."

"I know," Garcia echoed. She turned to Harry. "How did you know I know? And are you a wizard?"

"I am," Harry replied and then smiled sheepishly. "I went into your office. I saw the magical animal figurines on your desk. You have an erumpent and a niffler. They're easy enough to pass off as a bad representation of a rhino and a platypus. They also have good luck charms on them: erumpent for love and niffler for finding fortune. Also, the lollipops you have are Hocus Pocus Pops. I recognized them from Tweety's Sweet Shop at the Magical Mall. I do have a question for you though. How do you know about magic when you're not a witch? Are you a squib?"

"How do you know I'm not a witch?"

"I can sense it. Just as I could sense that you had trace magic on you."

Penelope hummed. "Haven't heard that before, but you're right. My parents were hippies and the crowd they brought me up in included witches and wizards. It's hard to explain how we got away with that, but we were a pretty close-knit group and the MACUSA wasn't going to break up our little community. Magic is just something I grew up always knowing about. I had magical friends I played with and everything. Though admittedly I got jealous sometimes which is probably why I started liking technology so much because they couldn't use it often without breaking it," she tacked on quickly in one breath.

"Well, my uncles and mom and I are trying to make magic and tech work together. Really, I'm surprised no one's figured it out yet."

"Well, they have to an extent," Penelope explained. "Anything prior to the forties they've configured pretty well, like the radio. Then tech from there to the seventies can work well enough with magic as a power source, but it's not as easy, so it's not common. It's when you start working with anything digital that magic makes tech go wonky. That's why televisions, computers, and phones don't work in areas with a lot of ambient magic."

Spencer leaned forward. "Do you think ambient magic could be a form of radiation? O-or maybe magic runs on its own frequency? Or-"

Gideon had to call an end to the conversation before they all got distracted from the homicides they were supposed to investigate. Before Harry left though, Penelope babbled about how cute he was, resulting in Harry declaring he was too old to be cute.

"I turn seven next week!" Harry pouted.

"Next week?" Penelope repeated. "Your birthday's next week? Is there a party? Am I invited? I'll bring lots of presents. It's an aunt's job to bring lots of presents."

Harry smiled brightly and looked at his dad. Hotch rolled his eyes but smiled and nodded.

"Of course you're invited Aunt Pene-," Harry stopped and tilted his head. "No, just Aunt Pen. If you like."

Penelope squealed and did a little happy dance in her chair, hands over her heart. Harry left and Penelope calmed down enough to speak. "Oh my gosh, he's so cute. I can't believe he came from Mr. Stoic over here."

"He didn't," Hotch deadpanned. "Didn't you notice his accent?"

Penelope blinked. "I thought he was pronouncing some of his words oddly, but I couldn't really tell it was an accent."

"British," Hotch informed. "He's been working on his American accent the last few months. Haley and Sirius keep telling him his accent makes him sound distinguished, but Harry doesn't care. He's a kid and he's never liked attention for any reason. He thinks it'll help him fit in."

The topic was dropped, and the team went to work.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> *Sirius Black's birthday is canonically November 3rd. I figured he spent November first tracking Pettigrew down and found him in the morning on the second. It's actually really sad he lost everything right before a day he would normally spend celebrating.
> 
> *The Potters were left out of the Sacred Twenty-Eight Families because of their muggle leanings as well as the fact that "Potter" is also a muggle surname. However, the founder of the Potter Family lived in the 12th century. Linfred of Stinchcombe was known as the "Potterer" to his neighbors. As this was a time when they used "Name, son of _", his son Hardwin was known as "Hardwin son of Potterer" which he shortened to Potter. Ergo: Hardwin Potter. The Potters were still a very old family and several of its members served on the Wizengamot throughout history, so I figured they had a family seat, like the House of Lords in British Parliament. Then Harry would be considered a Lord, like Sirius Black is considered a Lord.
> 
> Teaser: Next chapter includes Dumbledore...hehehe!

**Author's Note:**

> Not to be a comment ho, but reviews give me life! ;)


End file.
